Agri drones make debut in Nizamabad farms

Nekkanti Suresh hit upon the idea of going in for a drone to spray pesticides and approached N G Ranga Agriculture University in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh

Nizamabad: With modernisation and mechanisation present the buzzwords in agricultural activities, many farmers in rural Telangana, particularly the younger lot, are taking to technology-driven gadgets not only to make their work easy but also supplement their income by renting such gadgets.

Take for instance the case of Nekkanti Suresh, a native of Rudrur in Nizamabad district, who owns 10-acre land. When the time came for spraying pesticides on the crops, he realised that there was a shortage of labourers for the job, and even if they were available, sometimes they land up with health issues on account of the pesticides they inhale while spraying the crops.

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Suresh hit upon the idea of going in for a drone to spray pesticides and approached N G Ranga Agriculture University in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The university authorities advised him to approach Vihanga Technologies in Vijayawada who were suppliers of spray drone costing Rs seven lakh.

Suresh bought the spraying drone a month ago and used it on his crops. Realising the potential that the spraying drone had, he started renting out the drone to neighbouring farmers, charging Rs 500 per acre. His drone business has now expanded and it making the rounds of agriculture fields in Varni, Banswada, Kotagiri and Bodhan mandals.

A visibly happy Suresh told Telangana Today that the drone takes just 7 to 8 minutes to spray an acre and it can easily spray 10 to 15 acre every day. “The drone not only does a quick job but also ensures uniform spraying of pesticides covering the entire crop, something that does not come easily when done manually,” he said.

Rama Rao, a farmer from Rudrur who used Suresh’s drone to spray his field, said labourers demand Rs 250 to Rs 300 per acre. “Even though the drone sprayer is more expensive, I opted for it for three reasons – I don’t have to depend on labour, they are not available when needed and the third factor is that they fall sick after spraying forcing us to bear the medical expenses,” he said.

The trend started by Suresh is now catching on in Nizamabad district with more and more farmers going in for drone technology, both for its convenience and money-making potential.

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