VIJAYAWADA: The Agriculture Department is now planning to train unemployed youth as Kisan Drone pilots before introducing Kisan Drones for agricultural operations in the State. With an objective to safeguard the interests of farmers, the State government has decided to deploy 2,000 Kisan Drones at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore in a phased manner. In the first phase, around 300 drones will be introduced, most likely in June-July when the Kharif operations commence.
Initially, it was proposed to train enthusiastic farmers as Kisan Drone pilots and with the help of Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU), 100 farmers were trained. ANGRAU, which is equipped to train Kisan Drone pilots, has been empanelled by DGCA as a training institute for drone pilots.
“However, we have observed that given the technical nature of the job, training farmers as Kisan Drone pilots is proving to be difficult. There are too many technical issues that need to be taken care of like geo-mapping of the agriculture field, feeding the exact coordinates that the drone has to fly and spray pesticide in the mapped area, ensuring that it does not exceed the set boundaries, else the neighbouring farm will be affected. Hence, we have decided to extend the training to unemployed youth in the ambit of Rythu Bharosa Kendras as drone pilots. Qualification and other modalities are being worked out,” Special Commissioner of Agriculture C Hari Kiran told TNIE.
Given the nature of the seasonal work, just like combined harvester operators, Kisan Drone pilots will have demand seasonally and they will be attached to the Custom Hire Centres (CHCs) under RBKs to which drones are given. Normally, it will take 1-2 days to spray pesticide in 10 acres of land. Using the drone technology, it can be done in just one hour at the rate of 6-10 minutes per acre. The operator is likely to earn Rs 5,000 per day.
This way not only more jobs are created, but the farmers will get a ready-made solution for their farmhands' problem. There is an increasing problem of farm labour availability and escalation of farm labour cost, making farmers opt for farm mechanisation in every aspect, he explained.
Hari Kiran further said, “We are now in the process of empanelling the drone companies. Like we did with tractors, drones too will be provided as per the choice of the farmers’ groups. The empanelled drone companies will be asked to have a service centre. We are now working out modalities in this regard.”
As per ANGRAU, the ideal weight of a drone suited for Andhra Pradesh climate should be anywhere between 23 and 30 kg with a carrying capacity of up to 10 litres of pesticide.
Under the Kisan Drone Scheme, the unit cost of drone has been fixed at Rs 10 lakh (maximum ceiling). A 40% subsidy (60% Centre’s and 40% State’s share) per drone will be provided. The beneficiary has to bear the remaining cost. “The State government will facilitate bank loans for the remaining amount and it will have a tie-up with banks in this regard,” Hari Kiran added.