"The agri drone ecosystem is estimated to be between 3000 and 4000 for the coming year"

An urgent need to increase agricultural output and efficiency has sped up the expansion of the agricultural drone market in India. There are about 3,000 drones in operation right now, and by FY25, that number is projected to rise to over 7,000.

- Nitin Konde

Frost and Sullivan, an American business consulting firm, predicts that the agri-drone market will reach $121.43 million by 2030, quadruple by 2028, and increase at a CAGR of 38.5 per cent. This growth would not have been possible without the efforts of the government. To encourage farmers to use drone technology, programmes are offering incentives and financial aid through schemes like the Agricultural Mechanisation Sub-Mission, as well as programmes that promote 'Kisan Drones' for crop management. 'Drone Didi' is a new programme that will promote sustainable farming practices by providing drone technology to women's self-help organisations. Owing to all these developments, AgroSpectrum interacted with Chirag Sharma, CEO, Drone Destination to shed more light on the future growth and challenges of this industry. Edited excerpts:

In your opinion, what does the future hold for the agricultural drone market?

Indian agriculture makes a substantial contribution to the nation's GDP, employment, and food security. Agriculture in India is one of the primary sources of income for many Indians. Almost 70 per cent of India's people are employed in agriculture. India also has the maximum land dedicated to the production of crops such as wheat, rice, cotton and more.

Drones in agriculture provide increased efficiency by saving time (drones can spray one acre in 5-7 minutes) and increasing the area covered in a day (drones can cover 25 acres per day vs 2-3 acres using conventional labour.

Drones also reduce dependency on labour and provide a safe working environment (labourers don't have to inhale harmful chemicals using traditional spray means). Agri drones also assist in saving water as well as optimising the usage of fertilisers and pesticides by spraying evenly portions over fields using precise mission planning.