The ICAR-KVK, CCARI, Goa conducted a demonstration of an agricultural drone

ICAR-KVK, CCARI conducted a demonstration on agri-drone at Old Goa with the primary objective to showcase the use of agri-drones in modern agricultural techniques to reduce drudgery, enhance productivity, estimate crop yield, manage soil health, identify crop pests and diseases, and detect nutritional deficiencies. Dr Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa, highlighted the unique benefits of utilizing drones in agriculture, which include improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness resulting from reduced spraying costs, conservation of fertilizers and pesticides through the highly atomized application, water conservation through ultra-low volume spraying, and decreased human exposure to hazardous chemicals. Further, he explains that farmers may utilize drones to accurately monitor the health of crops, and maximize the allocation of resources on their farms. Dr N. Bommayasamy, senior scientist and Head of ICAR-KVK, CCARI, North Goa, briefed an overview of the benefits, types, and sizes of agricultural drones. He also stated that the use of agri-drones allows farmers to apply agrochemicals more quickly and accurately to crops in specific environments, outperforming traditional methods. Nowadays, the government provides subsidies and a contingency fund to farmers who hire drones from custom hiring centres. This initiative seeks to make it easier and more affordable for farmers to obtain and use advanced technology. Mr Viswajeet Prajapati, Technical Officer, showcased the use of agrochemicals to effectively control ear head bugs in paddy at farmers field and provide foliar nutrition to cowpea crops. Eighty-one farmers and officials participated and benefited from this event.