Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that use of drones will prove to be a game changer in many sectors, and termed Kisan drone a new age revolution. The Prime Minister flagged off 100 kisan drones in different cities and towns yesterday.
Addressing the farmers virtually at Manesar, Gurugram, Modi said that this special drive is aimed at helping farmers by giving their produce easy access to the markets. “This will also increase the income of farmers. This is a new chapter in the direction of modern agricultural facilities of the 21st century. It will not only open the sky to unlimited possibilities, but will also prove to be a milestone in the development of drone sector,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of drones in various fields, he said that priority has been given to technology in several policy decisions in this year budget. At present, drones are being used in many different areas including mapping of land, supply of medicines and vaccines, and spraying of pesticides, he added.
Talking about the opportunities in the drone sector, Modi said “Several reforms have taken place in the country to give opportunities to youth and strengthen the private sector. He said, several companies and startups are growing fast to create new drone ecosystem in the country to tap the immense possibilities.”
He said, this ecosystem will generate new employment opportunities in the drone sector. He said, Garuda Aerospace has set a target of manufacturing two lakh drones in the next two years and this will provide ample employment to youth.
“In the last eight years, we have seen improvements in technology. We have witnessed increased adoption of technology and innovation by farmers. The agriculture sector is now transforming with the help of technology. Drones will be important in also improving last-mile healthcare delivery. Even during COVID, drones helped in delivering vaccines to the remotest corners of the country,” he added.
The Prime Minister said in the last few months, the government has removed most of the restrictions regarding the usage of drones. “We are also introducing PLI Scheme that will help us build a drone manufacturing ecosystem in India. I request all startups and the youth to work towards developing solutions for better development outcomes, using drones,” he said.
Drones: A Boon To Enhance Farming Techniques
– Drones can help farmers to optimize the use of inputs (seed, fertilizers, water), to react more quickly to threats (weeds, pests, fungi). The use of drones can also help the farmers to save time in crop scouting (validate treatment/actions taken) and also to improve variable-rate prescriptions in real-time and estimate yield from a field.
– Drones ensure permanent monitoring of the crop in the field from planting to harvest.
– The usage of drones can also help in reducing manpower and the increase the efficiency of crop protection with chemicals. However, a reduction in employment is considered to be a threat.
– Usage of drones can also play a helpful role during all seasons of the year. A drone can fly under any weather condition and are water-resistant, but image quality can be damaged if pictures are taken during rainy weather.
– Raw data collected by drones gets translated into useful and comprehensible information for farmers by providing information through images. The following information can be collected by using drone images:
Plant counting: plant size, plot statistics, stand number, compromised plots, planter skips).
Plant height: crop height and density.
Vegetation indices: leaf area, anomaly detection, treatment efficacy, infestations, phenology.
Water needs: damage/drown out.
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