KOTTAYAM: Noticing a significant dip in the yield of his paddy cultivation, Joseph Antony, aka Chachappan, a paddy farmer in Pallikkayal in Kumarakom, approached the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) a few months ago, seeking techniques to increase production. He cultivates paddy in nearly 80 acres of leased fields in Pallikkayal. After advising Antony to slightly change cultivation timing of Puncha season, KVK authorities recommended him to use a new technique — spray some micronutrients with the help of a drone.
When KVK offered drone spraying free of cost in 10 acres as part of its demonstration programme, Antony extended the same to 30 more acres. Now, a couple of months after, Antony is confident of getting better yield this time as the plants look healthier than ever.
While Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman announced in Union Budget 2022 that the “use of ‘Kisan Drones’ will be promoted for crop assessment, digitisation of land records, spraying of insecticides, and nutrients,” KVK-Kumarakom already has success stories to share with others in the use of drones for agricultural purposes.
“We used drones to spray micronutrients and bio-inputs like pseudomonas, a disease resistant, on a trial basis in 2020-21 and 2021-22 in 10 acres of land each in Kumarakom, which proved to be a successful initiative. Now, farmers have come forward with a demand for drones to spray micronutrients in their fields,” said Dr G Jayalakshmi, project coordinator at KVK-Kumarakom.
According to Jayalakshmi, the use of drones will help spray the contents on paddy plants precisely. “One of the major advantages is that we can evenly spray the micronutrients in fields, ensuring higher results. Moreover, in the Northern Kuttanad region, high acidity content in the soil often causes the intake of manure through the roots of the plants. In such areas, precise spraying of nutrients will help the plants absorb it through its leaves. If farmers comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to lessen the acidity content such as using lime in the field, and the use of drone sprayers to provide micronutrients and bio-inputs, the efficiency of the plants can be increased significantly. We hope for a 20% increase in the yield where drone spraying has been done,” she said.
Experts said apart from high rate of efficiency, drone spraying will be more economical and time saving as well. At present, Fuselage Innovations in Ernakulam provides drones for agriculture purposes and they charge Rs 800 per acre for spraying. The KVK officials are hopeful that the expense can be brought down when the spraying is done in wider areas.
KVKs likely to get drones
With the Union government deciding to promote ‘Kisan Drones’, the KVKs that come under the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) will be provided one drone each soon. The government has already announced Rs 10 lakh for agriculture extension centres towards Kisan drones. A project in this regard was already under the consideration of the Centre as part of the agriculture mechanisation programme.
“In a state like Kerala which faces acute labour shortage, use of drones will be more helpful, especially for small-scale farmers. Moreover, we can create jobs for unemployed youths by providing training in handling drones,” said Dr Jayasree Krishnankutty, director of Extensions, Kerala Agriculture University, Mannuthi.
The university has already called a meeting of representatives from the seven KVKs under the varsity to discuss widening the use of drones. Moreover, the authorities are also planning to chalk out a plan for the use of drones. “It is definitely a revolutionary step, and we can use drones for various purposes in the agriculture field. We need to decide on operational charges of drones and how it can be extended to farmers,” said an official.
Benefits of drones
The use of drones will help spray the contents on paddy plants precisely, says Dr G Jayalakshmi, project coordinator at KVK-Kumarakom
Rs 10L The amount announced by the government to agriculture extension centres towards Kisan drones
Under the aegis of Kerala Agriculture University, drones were used in various paddy fields in Palakkad and Thrissur, which were successful
Strict restrictions needed
Experts suggest strict restrictions for spraying of pesticides with help of drones, which leads to serious issues in future.