NEW DELHI — India is planning to launch a “rainmaker” app to help farmers get their crops through the drought, a senior official said Thursday, as negotiators for the world’s second-biggest economy sought to keep talks alive amid a looming economic crunch.
The CBA, the government-appointed body charged with coordinating bilateral trade and economic relations, said it will give farmers in the drought-hit nation the ability to upload a map of their crops to an app that will automatically alert them if the ground is dry enough to plant.
The app will provide farmers with a way to know when it is time to plant and when it’s not, said Ankit Gopal, chief executive officer of the CBA.
Gopal said the app would help farmers understand the risks and reward their efforts, especially in drought-prone areas.
He said India is planning on giving farmers access to “a single, universal weather forecasting app” that will give them an immediate forecast of the weather and forecast the best times to plant seeds and water crops.
The app, called “rain Maker,” was launched last month by a government-owned startup called Gogra, which has offices in New Delhi and Hyderabad.
It is available in a few cities in India and is expected to be launched in several other cities.
The government hopes the app will help farmers avoid the “unnatural” delays and cancellations that often happen during the monsoon season.
It also wants to offer farmers incentives for planting seeds before the rain arrives.
