data and drone based images especially for crop cutting experiments planning , direct yield estimation at Gram Panchayat level , risk mapping of district and for area discrepancy resolution have been conducted through Mahalanobis National Crop Forecasting Centre ( MNCFC ).
The agriculture green revolution 2.0 began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off 100 Kisan drones in 100 villages across India .
Increasing support from government
The agriculture green revolution 2.0 began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off 100 Kisan drones in 100 villages across India and this led to the creation of job opportunities for youth across India . Government support and encouragement for drones was evident when the Prime Minister of India inaugurated India ’ s biggest Drone Festival – Bharat Drone Mahotsav in May 2022 .
The Prime Minister called the use of drones a milestone for Indian agriculture and expressed confidence it would create more opportunities . The government of India has extended huge subsidies to different agriculture-related instructors , farmers producers organisations ( FPO ) and custom hiring centres ( CHC ) for purchasing and promoting drones under a new scheme of Kisan Drone . These drones are helpful for government agencies also as they can be used for crop assessment of production estimates or to process farm insurance , digitisation of land records , and can expedite claim processing and bring transparency .
Funds amounting to Rs 52.50 Crores have been released to the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research ( ICAR ) for taking up of large scale demonstration of drone technology on the farmers ’ fields in the country through 100 Kishi Vigyan Kendras , 75 institutions under ICAR and 25 State Agricultural Universities . Funds amounting to Rs . 70.88 Crores have also been released to various State Governments for demonstration , providing subsidy to the farmers and establishment of Custom Hiring Centres for providing drone services to the farmers . This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare , Narendra Singh Tomar in the Parliament .
Many state governments have started adopting drones at ground level . For example , Andhra Pradesh government has decided to procure 200 Kisan Drones , which would solve the problem of labour shortage and health hazards . As excessive rains flooded farms , Karnataka has decided to use drones for crop assessment to bring transparency . Tamil Nadu too has roped in drones as a part of the digital intervention to make agriculture and farming profitable and sustainable . Gujarat and Rajasthan too , are launching similar initiatives .
The involvement of agri start-ups , FPOs and CHCs in drone technology will allow farmers especially those financially poor to try new technological solutions . As drones become affordable and easily accessible , more and more farmers will start using them . Moreover , drones can create employment opportunities in rural parts , especially for the tech-savvy youth and bring them back to farms .
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BioVoiceNews | February 2023