Scientists demonstrate drone technology for agriculture in East Godavari

The demonstration has been conducted by the Agriculture Research Station, Pedapuram, for the farmers cultivating maize.

September 03, 2021 12:40 pm | Updated 12:52 pm IST - PEDDAPURAM (EAST GODAVARI):

Drone technology being demonstrated for farmers at Agriculture Research Station (RARS-Peddapuram) in East Godavari district. Photo: Special Arrangement

Drone technology being demonstrated for farmers at Agriculture Research Station (RARS-Peddapuram) in East Godavari district. Photo: Special Arrangement

Acharya N.G. Ranga Agriculture University Board Member Pachari Devullu and Andhra Pradesh Rice Research Institute (APRRI-Maruteru) Associate Director of Research Dr. G. Jogi Naidu on Thursday inspected the viability of drone technology for adoption in agriculture.

The drone technology demonstration has been conducted by the Agriculture Research Station, Pedapuram, for the farmers cultivating maize and viability to adopt the technology to avoid scarcity of labour and minimise the input cost on various commercial crops.

Addressing the farmers, Mr. Devullu has observed; “The viability of the drone technology has already been proved in the agriculture in Andhra Pradesh. Hopefully, the technology would likely to be adopted by more farmers in the coming years, given its capabilities and features”.

In the demonstration given by a progressive farmer, the pesticide has been sprayed on the finger millet and maize fields. One acre of field can be covered within 15 minutes to spray the pesticide and the maximum charge is ₹350 per acre. The drones are being used to spray the pesticides based on the coordinates of the field.

Led by RARS-Peddapuram Principal Scientist T. Anuradha, the maize farmers have been told to explore the possibilities to use drone technology.

SC Sub-Plan

The RARS-Peddapuram Scientists have distributed the kits to the maize farmers. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research has funded the kits under the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan and each kit comprises of sprayers machine, tarpaulin, and other equipment worth ₹6,000.

“The research on the maize is in progress at the RARS-Peddapuram as part of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Maize”, added Ms. Anuradha. East Godavari and West Godavari districts are the prime maize producers in Andhra Pradesh.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.