The Tiruppur district administration has reached out to women self-help groups (SHG) to train them in the usage of drones for spraying pesticides, as a way forward to address the labour shortage for agriculture.
The initiative, carried out through the Mahalir Thittam Department, will enable faster spraying of fertilisers with reduced water usage compared to conventional methods, said District Collector T. Christuraj.
Farmers seeking drone services to spray pesticides, nano urea and fertilisers can reach out to service providers through the Uzhavan mobile app.
According to a senior official of Mahalir Thittam, members of the women-led SHGs will be trained in drone piloting and pesticide application with drones supplied by fertiliser companies. In Tiruppur district, the drones have been provided to two women.
The initiative comes under the Central sector scheme Namo Drone Didi, with an outlay of ₹1,261 crore to provide drones to 14,500 selected women SHGs from 2024-25 to 2025-26 across the country for providing rental services to farmers for agricultural purposes (application of liquid fertilisers and pesticides).
In Tamil Nadu, 44 women SHGs have been provided with drones so far under the scheme, with financial assistance from the centre covering up to 80 per cent of the cost of drone and accessories/ancillary charges to a maximum of ₹8 lakh. The remaining amount can be financed through loans under the National Agriculture Infrastructure Financing Facility, with an interest subvention of 3% for SHGs or cluster-level federations.
Having acquired the recognition of Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), TNAU will be providing training in drone operation to women SHGs in the future, official sources indicated.
Published – February 06, 2025 08:29 pm IST