India, Feb. 10 -- India's conversation on artificial intelligence is maturing. The focus isshifting from abstract capability to applied impact; from what AI can do in theory to what it can solve in practice. Few sectors make this distinction clearer than food and agriculture, where inefficiencies are not marginal but systemic, and where technology must work within deeply local realities of climate, logistics, and markets.

Food systems illustrate the problem starkly. India grows more than enough to feed its population, yet an estimated 68 million tonnes of food are lost every year, with 35-40 per cent of fruits and vegetables perishing after harvest due to breakdowns due to irregular delivery, poor quality assessment, and fragmented suppl...