Google Cloud is partnering with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to launch a Gemini-powered Beckn-enabled Uttar Pradesh Open Network for Agriculture. This Open Network will provide millions of farmers with one-stop access to essential services, including advisory services, credit, mechanization, and market linkages to sell their produce. This follows from multiple announcements made by Google around leveraging AI for impact at its annual flagship Google for India event in October 2024.
To enable seamless access and break down barriers to adoption by farmers, the network will be enabled by Google’s Gemini agentic framework. Farmers will be able to access the network by voice commands in the language of their choice. The languages that are currently supported include Hindi, Bangla, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, and Punjabi; with more being added in 2025.
The Beckn Open Network for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh is designed as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and is part of the state’s ongoing efforts in digitizing the agricultural ecosystem. This is the first-of-its-kind DPI for agriculture by an Indian state. It leverages Google Cloud’s DPI-in-a-box offering along with the Beckn Protocol, an open standard that enables interoperability and decentralized discovery of products and services.
Unlike traditional marketplace apps that operate as closed ecosystems, the Open Network for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh is built to be open and decentralized. This means any service provider – from input suppliers to financial institutions to government agencies – can easily join the network and connect with farmers. Conversely, anyone can curate these services and build their own farmer-facing solutions, fostering innovation and competition.
Shri Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh and Chief Coordinator of Uttar Pradesh’s Diversified Agriculture Support Project, stated, “This agreement demonstrates the Uttar Pradesh government’s commitment to good governance and digital empowerment. The Open Network for Agriculture is a major step toward doubling farmers’ income in Uttar Pradesh. It provides quick, accurate information on micro-climate and market prices, integrating data from weather stations installed in almost every tehsil. By leveraging AI, it addresses the digital divide and equips our farmers with the tools and resources they need to thrive in today’s day and age.”
“We are keen on helping accelerate the adoption of digital public infrastructure (DPI) globally, and particularly in India where it has already demonstrated population-scale impact,” said Bikram Singh Bedi, Vice President and Country MD , Google Cloud India. “We are proud to partner with the government of Uttar Pradesh on this pioneering initiative. Uttar Pradesh is one of India’s largest agricultural states, with millions of farmers contributing significantly to the nation’s food production. Technology is a critical building block for accelerating the state’s progress in agriculture, and through this Gemini-powered Open Network, the government has created an open and decentralized approach that innovators can leverage to build and deploy solutions for farmers.
“We are incredibly excited to see the Google Cloud DPI-In-A-Box solution come to life with the launch of the Open Network for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh,” said Anil Bhansali, VP Engineering and Head of India Development Center at Google Cloud India. “DPI is a proven approach to public sector digitization journeys, and AI can exponentially increase the usability of public services built with DPIs. We are committed to bringing the benefits of Gemini-powered DPIs to people around the world.”
Sujith Nair, CEO and Co-Founder of FIDE (Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy) which is the genesis author and custodian of Beckn Protocol said, “The digital economy in India is still not reaching its true potential, especially when it comes to unlocking access and enabling the exchange of value at population scale, be it for small retailers or drivers in urban commerce or even for our farmer fraternity. Beckn aims to change that by demonstrating how agri-commerce and agri-advisory can be open, decentralized, and value-generating for everyone. We’re thrilled to see the Uttar Pradesh Government and Google Cloud India leverage Beckn Protocol to launch a state-wide Open Network for Agriculture in India.”
