Chennai: Chennai-based drone startup Garuda Aerospace has become the first company to receive the government’s agri-drone subsidy for the agricultural drones.
Garuda Kisan Drones were presented to eight farmers under the agri-drone subsidy at an event held in Pune.
The Garuda Kisan drones approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation would help farmers to manage and monitor the health of crops as well as detect and identify areas that require water or fertiliser.
Besides that, they can also be used to spray pesticides and fertilizers on crops, cutting down on manual labour and increasing efficiency.
The subsidy offered by the Centre is part of the initiatives launched by the Government to support the drone industry.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has amended the criteria of the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation to include a grant of up to 100 per cent of the cost of the agriculture drone.
Under the scheme, Farmer Producer Organizations would be eligible for a grant of up to 75 per cent of the cost of the agriculture drone for demonstration on farmers’ fields.
Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, Garuda Aerospace said ” Our drones have already proven to be a game changer in the agriculture sector, and this subsidy will enable us to reach even more farmers throughout India.”
