BASF Digital Farming launches free xarvio® SCOUTING chatbot service in India to aid farmers and advisors

• Chatbot service is free of charge and accessible via a dedicated WhatsApp channel
• Service provides farmers and advisors with access to fast, convenient in-field problem identification for unknown weeds and diseases
• New chatbot service supports 11 Indian languages

Cologne, Germany, and Mumbai, India – BASF Digital Farming GmbH has launched a dedicated, free of charge xarvio® SCOUTING chatbot service in India to aid its farmers and advisors.

The new chatbot service complements the global, market-leading xarvio® SCOUTING smartphone app, which can identify unknown weeds and diseases, analyze nitrogen uptake, and provide leaf damage, crop emergence and yellow trap analysis.

In India, the chatbot service has been tailored to suit local agronomic conditions and needs. It will focus on precisely identifying unknown weeds and diseases in 15 crops including rice and potato, enabling farmers and advisors to quickly receive relevant information to support decision making such as when and where to use a specific application.

Accessible via a dedicated WhatsApp channel, the chatbot service is offered in 11 languages including English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarati, and Telugu. Farmers and advisors do not need to have the xarvio® SCOUTING app installed to use the chatbot service.

Advanced image recognition and efficiency

Working in the same way as the xarvio® SCOUTING app, the new service combines advanced image recognition technology and algorithms to identify in-field problems efficiently. To use the chatbot service, farmers and advisors simply take a picture of an in-field problem with a smartphone and send the image to +919650609211 in WhatsApp in their preferred language to connect with the dedicated xarvio® SCOUTING channel. Within seconds, they will receive a response from the chatbot identifying the in-field issue.

Aiding access to agronomic information

By using WhatsApp, one of the most popular messenger services utilized in India, xarvio® SCOUTING’s new chatbot service increases access to timely and relevant agronomic information. It also allows farmers and advisors, who do not have smartphones with large internal memory to store images or power apps, to benefit from this free service.

“In India, where agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for almost 60% of the population, we hope that our new xarvio® SCOUTING chatbot service will help improve the lives of farmers – increasing crop quality and yield, while reducing costs and lessening environmental impacts,” says Rajendra Velagala, Director BASF Agricultural Solutions India.

“The chatbot service emphasizes our commitment to fostering sustainable agriculture, by providing farmers and advisors with free and fast access to relevant, precise agronomic information that can make a real difference to their lives and communities,” says Shiva Prakash, xarvio® Commercial Lead India, BASF Digital Farming.

Notes to editors

• Crops: rice, corn, cotton, soy, tomatoes, apples, eggplant, cabbage, millet, bananas, potatoes, pepper, sugar cane, pomegranate and onion
• Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu

About xarvio Digital Farming Solutions – a brand by BASF Digital Farming GmbH

xarvio Digital Farming Solutions is at the forefront of the digital transformation of agriculture, optimizing crop production. xarvio offers digital products, based on a global leading crop model platform, which deliver independent, field-zone-specific agronomic advice that enables farmers to produce their crops most efficiently and sustainably. xarvio products SCOUTING, FIELD MANAGER and HEALTHY FIELDS are being used by farmers in more than 100 countries. xarvio FIELD MANAGER is used by 60,000 farmers (total area of more than 9 million ha) in 18 countries, and xarvio SCOUTING is used by more than 4 million farmers and consultants. For more information please visit www.xarvio.com or any of our social media channels.

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division          

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2020, our division generated sales of €7.7 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

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