Bayer strengthens its phygital connect with Indian farmers
Bayer announced the continued expansion of its phygital ecosystem for Indian farmers, led by FarmRise, its farmer-focused digital platform, and supported by a growing portfolio of Direct-to-Farmer (D2F) digital initiatives spanning advisory, insurance, credit, market access and sustainable farming practices.
FarmRise has emerged as one of India’s most impactful agri-tech platforms, reaching over 5 million registered farmers nationwide. Built around real farmer needs, the mobile app brings together agronomy advice, local weather updates, mandi prices, government schemes and crop-specific content in one simple interface. The platform supports nine+ Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu, and is designed for ease of use, even for farmers new to smartphones.
By simplifying access to credible and timely information, FarmRise helps bridge the digital divide while strengthening farmer decision-making capabilities.
“FarmRise is not just an app, it is becoming a strong digital foundation for how we engage with farmers at scale,” said Simon Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head, Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka. “Technology for us is not about replacing relationships; it is about amplifying trust by combining our field expertise with digital and AI-driven solutions.”
A key feature of FarmRise is its anti-counterfeit (ACF) scanning capability, which allows farmers to verify product authenticity directly through the app. To date, the feature has seen 10 million+ scans, strengthening awareness around product safety and reinforcing trust in genuine inputs.
FarmRise also leverages artificial intelligence to make farmer engagement faster, sharper and more result-oriented. Its in-house developed AI-powered chatbot launched in 2025 provides instant responses to crop- and farm-related queries in simple language, reducing dependency on physical touchpoints for routine advisory. So far, the chatbot has handled 25 thousand farmer queries, enabling scalable access to expert guidance anytime, anywhere.
Over the past 18 months, FarmRise has recorded strong growth across installs, monthly active users and feature adoption, reflecting rising relevance and engagement.
While FarmRise serves as the central engagement platform, it is part of a wider Direct2Farmer(D2F) ecosystem that Bayer has built to address diverse farmer needs across the value chain.
