CHENNAI: TN government has trained 44 women, affiliated with SHGs across 28 districts, to operate drones for crop protection activities such as applying fertiliser.
The women were provided unmanned aerial vehicles and training during the first phase of the initiative, implemented under the Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission — funded by the union and state governments in the ratio of 60:40 — with support from the Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation, a press note said.
Farmers requiring drone assistance can reach out to the women — licensed drone pilots — through their respective SHGs. The details have been updated in the Uzhavar mobile application under the category “Agricultural Machinery for Rental”.
As women carry out most of the agricultural work in villages, the government has been implementing various initiatives through SHGs to improve their livelihoods. The press note said using drones for pesticide spraying is more efficient than using conventional agricultural sprayers.
With the availability of farm labourers in rural areas declining, the initiative will help cover large areas of farmland in less time, it said, adding that drones consume less water and cut cultivation costs.
S Usha Lakshmi (41) in Thoothukudi district, one of the women who received the training along with a licence and a drone, said, “I have been part of a SHG for the last two years. I own a small piece of land and engage in agriculture. I was chosen for the drone piloting opportunity because I have an engineering degree. We received 15 days of training,” she said.
She said using a drone for fertiliser or pesticide application costs `500 per acre, whereas conventional spraying costs between `600 and `700. “Drones can cover over 30 acres in a day, while battery sprayers cover only two to three acres,” she said.
