At a time when the farming sector is facing several challenges, including labour shortage and falling incomes, the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, has come to the rescue of farmers to aid them in various activities including spraying of pesticides, and nutrients.
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Vriddachalam recently demonstrated the technology on gingelly and paddy crops in the region. The programme was aimed at sensitising the farmers on how to overcome problems such as shortage of farm labourers and high input costs, through farm mechanisation and precision agriculture. The management of invasive pest and diseases would also become economical and easy with the help of drones.
KVK had ordered the customised drone costing ₹14.5 lakh from the Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Corporation (TNUAVC), with financial support from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Chief General Manager of NABARD T. Venkatakrishna pointed out that there was ample scope for drone usage in Indian agriculture and called upon all Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to popularise their use.
District Development Manager of NABARD Vijay Neehar elaborated on their role in implementing the project and its significance on crop production.
According to Prof. N. Sriram, head and programme coordinator of KVK Vriddhachalam, the team at KVK had identified the concentration of pesticide, herbicide, nutrients, etc. They also standardised the spray volume and speed for use on paddy, sugarcane, gingelly, groundnut, maize, cotton, cashew nut, and pulses. Field trials were conducted to arrive at the Standard Operating Procedure, he said.
“The drone had the capacity to carry up to 10 litres of pesticide and cover 30 acres per day. The trials had revealed that the drone could accomplish in a few hours that two labourers required a day to do - spray pesticides or apply fertilizers on a hectare. The farmers could also use the drone for localised application of pesticides or fertilizers for effective crop management and they could do it within a short period of time,’‘ Mr. Sriram said.
The KVK would be conducting field trials to demonstrate the technology in all the 14 blocks in Cuddalore district, Mr. Sriram said, adding that after the completion of mandatory training and demonstration, farmers could also hire the drones to apply fertilizers. The rent would be ₹500-₹600 per acre. Farmers could also form a collective and hire the drone for use on a large area. This would help them to save time, effort and money. Farmers, by adopting the drone technology, could cut costs and improve productivity because of its precision in spraying pesticide, he added.
Over 50 farmers from NABARD-funded National Agro Foundation (NAF) and FPOs participated. For further details contact KVK Vriddachalam - 04143 238353.
