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Drone Technology in Agriculture
Drone Technology in Agriculture
agriculture
With the ongoing increase in global population, the need to meet food and
nutrition requirements is paramount. India produced around 275 million
tonnes of food grain in 2018, and it is estimated that the production needs to
be increased by five million tonnes annually to feed the population over the
next decade. To achieve this, farmers must maintain soil nutrition for
maximum yield. While most farmers use conventional methods such as
manual spraying of fertilisers and pesticides, it comes with challenges such
as labour shortage, energy, untimeliness and overuse of products. However,
innovations in the agricultural sector such as drone technology are gradually
addressing these challenges and improving agricultural practices for farmers.
While farmers in Western countries have used drone technology for years, its
introduction in the Indian agricultural landscape is quite nascent. As per a
report by FICCI-EY, the drone industry can improve India’s manufacturing
potential to approximately US$ 23 billion by 2030. The Minister of
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare introduced a subsidy ranging from 40-50 per
cent on drones for different groups of farmers across India in 2022 to help
them simplify agricultural practices and improve food production.
Way forward
Gradually, agri-startups have started employing leading-edge technologies
such as AI and ML to improve farm productivity. They are developing
innovative solutions for various agricultural aspects like precision farming,
supply chain management and market linkages. Startups in the agri-tech
domain are playing a pivotal role in adopting drone technology and forging
strong partnerships with the agriculture industry to overcome obstacles and
deliver practical solutions. Notably, state governments in Karnataka,
Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh are actively
collaborating with drone manufacturers, farmer producer organisations, and
state agriculture universities to develop efficient fertiliser spraying drones.
This collaborative approach is paving the way for a sustainable future for the
Indian agricultural landscape.