At a time when the farming sector is facing several challenges, including labour shortage and falling incomes, the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, has come to the rescue of farmers to aid them in various activities including spraying of pesticides, and nutrients.
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Vriddachalam recently demonstrated the technology on gingelly and paddy crops in the region. The programme was aimed at sensitising the farmers on how to overcome problems such as shortage of farm labourers and high input costs, through farm mechanisation and precision agriculture. The management of invasive pest and diseases would also become economical and easy with the help of drones.
KVK had ordered the customised drone costing ₹14.5 lakh from the Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Corporation (TNUAVC), with financial support from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
