The partnership between Salaam Kisan and AMRUT Drone Mission will create 1000 drone entrepreneurs in Maharashtra, who will provide modern drone-based agricultural services to 1 lakh farmers.
Mumbai A big step has been taken in the country towards connecting farming with modern technology. Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) and precision agriculture platform ‘Salaam Kisan’ has announced a strategic partnership with ‘AMRUT Drone Mission’. The objective of this initiative is to provide modern, scientific and affordable agricultural services to the farmers. Also, the main goal of this partnership is to create permanent employment and new self-employment opportunities for DGCA-certified drone pilots.
In the first phase, 1,000 agricultural drone entrepreneurs will be trained in Maharashtra. These entrepreneurs will provide drone based precision agriculture services to more than 1 lakh farmers of the state. It is believed that this model can give a new direction to technology-based farming and rural drone entrepreneurship across the country in the future.
Modern and affordable drone agriculture service will reach farmers
Unbalanced use of fertilizers and pesticides has been a big challenge for farming in the country for a long time. This affects the quality of the soil, affects crop production and also harms the environment. Apart from this, the health risks of farmers and agricultural laborers who spray medicines in the traditional way also increase due to direct contact with chemicals.
In such a situation, drone based precision agriculture is emerging as an effective solution for farmers. With the help of this technology, fertilizers and pesticides can be used at the right time, in the right quantity and in a scientific manner. This reduces the cost of farming, saves resources and also reduces health risks.
DGCA certified drone pilots will get digital platform
AMRUT Drone Mission is working to produce DGCA-certified drone pilots across the country. Under this, youth are given training in drone operation. Apart from this, through ‘AMRUT Interest Parvatha Scheme’, interest relief for two years is also provided on the purchase of drones.
Under the new partnership, pilots trained by AMRUT Mission and having their certified drones will be linked to the digital platform of Salaam Kisan. After this, farmers will be able to easily book drone spray service through WhatsApp, mobile app or phone call.
Drone operators will also be provided with modern technical facilities like crop-based standard operating procedures (SOP), weather-based advisories, satellite data and digital service management.
Key objectives of drone agriculture partnership
This partnership aims to benefit both farmers and drone entrepreneurs. Under this, regular employment opportunities will be created for trained drone pilots. Safe and affordable drone services will be delivered to farmers on time. Efforts will be made to reduce the cost of farming and water consumption by promoting the use of fertilizers and pesticides in a scientific manner. Besides, there will be emphasis on increasing the availability of agricultural drones and trained drone pilots across the country and encouraging technology-based entrepreneurship in rural areas.
Network of 1,000 agricultural drone entrepreneurs will be ready in Maharashtra
AMRUT Drone Mission aims to create 1,000 agricultural drone entrepreneurs in Maharashtra in the next one year. Together they will provide precision agriculture services to more than 1 lakh farmers. The aim of this initiative is not only to provide employment, but also to increase the productivity of farming through drone technology, improve the income of farmers and make farming more scientific and modern.
‘Precision agriculture is far ahead of drone spray’: Dhanashree Mandhani
Dhanashree Mandhani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Salaam Kisan said that the future of precision agriculture is not limited to just drone spray. Its biggest advantage is in identifying problems in crops at an early stage, balanced use of agricultural inputs and providing data based advice to farmers.
He said that with this technology, farmers’ costs will reduce, production will increase and there will be a positive increase in their income. According to him, this partnership is not just an expansion of drone services, but an integrated model linking trained drone entrepreneurs, digital platforms and precision agriculture, which will play an important role in bringing modern technology to farmers. He expressed confidence that this will give a new impetus to the digitalization of agriculture and rural technical entrepreneurship in India.
What is Salaam Kisan and AMRUT Drone Mission?
AMRUT Drone Mission is a skill development and livelihood programme. Its objective is to provide employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth in various sectors including agriculture by training them as DGCA-certified drone pilots. Under the mission, financial assistance is also given to purchase drones.
Whereas, Salaam Kisan is a Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) and Precision Agriculture platform, which connects farmers with drone-based agricultural services. In Maharashtra, this platform has so far provided its services to more than 5.5 lakh farmers. Apart from this, Standard Operating Procedures have been developed for more than 31 crops and more than 2.5 lakh drone spray operations have been successfully completed.