One of the big topics at the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the past few years has been artificial intelligence (AI), and the future of food and agriculture is something that is absolutely vital. In an interview to NDTV in Davos, Nadir Godrej, chairperson of Godrej Agrovet, said that artificial intelligence has a big role to play in the food sector and Godrej Agrovet is using AI in many areas.
“We have a crop-protection business where we produce chemicals that help protect crops. We use photographs to detect crop diseases. AI studies photographs of crops and Determines what type of disease it is, and that is very useful,” Mr Godrej said.
He gave an example of how large oil palm plantations owned by smallholders who do not have the means to manage the plantations benefit from the use of IA.
“In our oil palm business, we take satellite photos of all our oil palm plantations, which are owned by smallholders… Once we see the photos, we can advise them (smallholders), We can tell them what kind of fertilizer to use. “We also test the soil, analyze it, and wherever possible, we use artificial intelligence,” said the chairman of the diversified agri-business major. and they are given their Give the right advice to improve the yields and quality of the oil produced by them.” NDTV.
He said AI helps in reducing inputs like fertilizers and costs. But how exactly?
“Once you know the right conditions of the crop, you do not overuse fertilizers, and overuse of fertilizers causes pollution and damages the soil, but if you use the right amount , So it’s great,” Mr. Godrej said, adding that he has collaborated with AI companies around the world, although Godrej Agrovet also has a lot of AI professionals.
Another area where the company uses AI is its food business.
“…to manage the stores, we take pictures of the store and see what shelf space-share we have, which is then analyzed by artificial intelligence, so it makes all our sales staff very productive,” Mr. Godrej said.
On the Trump presidency and tariffs
Mr Godrej agreed that the tariff issue is important, and obviously important for agriculture as well. With Donald Trump 2.0 here and speculations of a tariff war in the near future, Mr Godrej said this is going to be a challenge for the Indian firm.
“…We have high tariffs on some goods. It would be good for us to actively reduce some of those tariffs; we no longer need such high tariffs to protect our industries, and already many are manufacturing, foreign companies that we are importing products that are already being manufactured in India, so by reducing some of these tariffs, we can ensure that we are not affected by higher tariffs ,” Mr Godrej said, if If China is hit by higher tariffs, India is likely to benefit.
He said sustainability is an integral part of the processes not only at Godrej Agrovet, but across all Godrej businesses.
“In 2010, we launched our ‘Good and Green’ program for environmental sustainability as well as social sustainability, and it was working very well. Subsequently, we had mandatory CSR (corporate social responsibility) spending , and we used them to help society at large, as well as reach our sustainable goals,” Mr Godrej said.
The five-day meeting, which began today in Davos, is exploring ways to restart growth, harness new technologies and strengthen social and economic resilience, according to the World Economic Forum. Nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries are participating in the global meeting, including 350 government leaders.
India’s participation in Davos aims to strengthen partnerships, attract investments and position the country as a global leader in sustainable development and technological innovation. India sent five Union Ministers, three Chief Ministers and ministers from several other states to the WEF this time.
