- Why in news
- On 24 March 2026, the Agriculture Ministry told the Lok Sabha that over 9.20 crore Farmer IDs had been generated under AgriStack's Farmers Registry as of 19 March 2026.
- What it is
- AgriStack is a digital public infrastructure for agriculture. Its Farmers Registry gives each landholding farmer a digital identity called Farmer ID. The ID is meant to link farmers to schemes, credit, insurance and procurement without repeated paperwork.
- Coverage
- The registry covers landholding farmers, including women farmers, livestock and fisheries.
- Tenants and sharecroppers
- The application can onboard cultivators such as tenants and sharecroppers, not only landowners.
- Schemes linked
- Farmer ID helps integrate DBT schemes such as PM-Kisan and PMFBY, MSP procurement, credit, input distribution and disaster relief.
- Inclusion support
- Farmers without mobile phones can register through FPOs, KrishiSakhis and Common Service Centres.
- Chhattisgarh use
- Chhattisgarh uses Farmer ID and Digital Crop Survey for MSP-based paddy procurement.
Don’t confuse with Farmer ID vs Aadhaar: Farmer ID is a farmer-specific digital identity under the Farmers Registry. Aadhaar is the general resident identity number.
Don’t confuse with Farmers Registry vs Digital Crop Survey: The registry records farmers. The Digital Crop Survey records crops sown on the ground. Both are parts of AgriStack.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- A single verified identity can cut duplication and speed up DBT, MSP payments, credit and relief.
- Onboarding tenants and sharecroppers can bring the landless cultivators into the benefit net.
Problems
- Farmers without phones or digital skills, and tenants without land records, may be excluded.
- Registry accuracy depends on state land records, which are often outdated or disputed.
Way forward
- Use camps, FPOs, KrishiSakhis and CSCs to reach left-out farmers, especially tenants.
- Update land records and add data protection safeguards and grievance redress.
Put in your answer
Maharashtra relief transfer: Maharashtra transferred over ₹14,000 crore to 89 lakh farmers for Kharif 2025 crop losses in 5 days using AgriStack.
Chhattisgarh procurement: Chhattisgarh covered over 32 lakh farmers in one season for MSP paddy procurement using Farmer ID.
- 2015Mains GS3 · Q4Digital India helping farmers improve productivity and income; government steps
- 2023Mains GS3 · Q3e-Technology helping farmers in agricultural production and marketing
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q4Inefficiency of agri-produce marketing and e-commerce's role reducing it
- 2017Prelims Q33Advantages of National Agriculture Market electronic trading portal for farmers
- 2020Prelims Q46Meaning of Public Key Infrastructure in India's digital context
- 2023Prelims Q100G-20 origins and digital public infrastructure as India's priority
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Single answer
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements about AgriStack and its Farmers Registry: 1. The Farmers Registry gives landholding farmers a digital identity called Farmer ID. 2. The Farmers Registry application cannot onboard tenants and sharecroppers. 3. Farmer ID is meant to help integrate DBT schemes such as PM-Kisan and PMFBY, and also MSP-based procurement. 4. Farmers without mobile phones can be registered through FPOs, KrishiSakhis and Common Service Centres.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
True or false?
1 of 6
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The Farmers Registry under AgriStack provides landholding farmers with a digital identity called Farmer ID.
True. Farmer ID is the digital identity issued under the Farmers Registry.
2.The Farmers Registry application can onboard only landowning farmers and excludes tenants and sharecroppers.
False. It can also onboard cultivators such as tenants and sharecroppers.
3.Farmer IDs are meant to help integrate DBT schemes such as PM-Kisan and PMFBY, and also MSP procurement.
True. Farmer ID integrates DBT schemes, MSP procurement, credit, inputs and disaster relief.
4.Farmers without mobile phones can be registered on AgriStack through FPOs, KrishiSakhis and Common Service Centres.
True. FPOs, KrishiSakhis and CSCs act as support structures for registration.
5.Chhattisgarh uses Farmer ID together with Digital Crop Survey for MSP-based paddy procurement.
True. Chhattisgarh institutionalized Farmer ID and Digital Crop Survey for MSP paddy procurement.
6.AgriStack is described by the government as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture.
True. The Farmers Registry sits under the AgriStack DPI.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.