The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, has sanctioned ₹65 lakh to Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) for research and demonstration of drone-based technologies in agriculture in Kerala.

An amount of ₹35 lakh has been allocated for carrying out research on drones and the remaining ₹30 lakh has been earmarked for Krishi Vigyan Kendras in Wayanad, Palakkad, Kollam and Kottayam for carrying out large-scale demonstrations on use of drones in farmers’ fields.

Since 2019

The KAU initiated trials using drones in 2019 and standardised various flight and spray parameters for spraying with drones. The initial trials were with biocontrol agents such as Pseudomonas fluorescens and micronutrient formulations such as Sampoorna for rice. From 2020, start-ups mentored by the KAU initiated sprays using drones in various crops, especially rice, based on the procedures standardised by the university in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of…

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Source: www.thehindu.com