In addition, the Government has also provided a grant of 75 percent of the cost of drone to the farmers producers organizations (FPOs) for displaying on the farmers’ fields, according to a senior officer of the Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Ministry.

Subsidy & Grant for Purchase of Drones

The Government has issued revised guidelines to make drone technology inexpensive to the stakeholders of this sector. In its guidelines on “Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization” (SMAM), it has envisaged 100 percent grant or Rs. 10 lakhs, whichever is less, to the Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes, ICAR Institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras & State Agriculture Universities.

A contingency outlay of Rs.6000 / hectare will also be given to the implementing agencies for hiring Drones from Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) for display. The contingent expenditure to implementing agencies who buy drones for drone demonstrations will be given at Rs.3000 / hectare.

At first, financial assistance and grants will be available till 31 March 2023, and then it would be reviewed again, the Government said. The existing Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) that has been established by Cooperative Society of Farmers / FPOs will also be given a grant of 40 percent of the basic cost of the drone & its attachments up to Rs. 4lakh, the Ministry informed.

But if a CHC has been set up by Agriculture graduates, the subsidy will increase to 50 percent of the basic cost of drones up to Rs. 5 lakhs. The Ministry said, “The subsidized purchase of agri drones for CHCs/Hi-tech Hubs will make the technology inexpensive, resulting in their widespread adoption. This will make drones more accessible to the common man in the country and will significantly encourage domestic drone production”.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) along with the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are in the process of allowing drone operations through a conditional exemption route. Moreover, the Agri Ministry has also come up with the Standard Operating Procedures for the use of Drone application with pesticides for crop protection in agricultural, forestry & non-cropped areas.

Source: Krishi Jagran