Offline crop registration permitted in Maharashtra due to app glitches

The authorities of Maharashtra have allowed offline crop registration via the e-ferfar system for those farmers who faced technical issues while using the Digital Crop Survey application. The corresponding order was issued following instructions from Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, after which the regional revenue department released a Government Resolution (GR) permitting crop inspections at the talathi level in districts where online registration has stalled for the current Kharif season.

As noted in the document, the electronic crop inspection system was launched in the state on August 15, 2021, to ensure transparency and accessibility of the process via mobile phones. Starting December 1, 2024, the government made technical adjustments to integrate registration with the AgriStack platform, but in the current season, the Digital Crop Survey application began malfunctioning in a number of regions.

The Government Resolution outlines four main problems: a discrepancy of more than 20 meters between the actual plot and its boundary on the screen during the farmer's physical presence, swapped maps within the application, a complete absence of mapping data for entire villages, and the disappearance of farmers' names and their land account numbers.

In situations where technical failures cannot be resolved and online registration is impossible, the authorities have allowed the use of the e-ferfar system as an alternative option for the current Kharif season.