AI starts to help India’s struggling farms

A farmer walks across a wheat field on the outskirts of Amritsar, India. While AI tech is blossoming, takeup among farmers is slow because many cannot afford it. — AFP

BENGALURU, India: Each morning Indian farmer R Murali opens an app on his phone to check if his pomegranate trees need watering, fertiliser or are at risk from pests.

"It is a routine," Murali, 51, told AFP at his farm in the southern state of Karnataka. "Like praying to God every day."