An ambitious initiative to modernize Indian agriculture is utilizing drone technology to cover 30 lakh acres of farmland across 11 states. The program, a collaboration between agro-drones manufacturer IoTechWorld Avigation and agro-cooperative IFFCO, has – as per an official release – impacted over 500 farming families, offering efficient crop management through AGRIBOT drones.
The AGRIBOT drones can cover up to 25 acres per day per drone, delivering precision and efficiency in spraying fertilizers and pesticides. The initiative not only addresses the long-standing challenges of labor shortages and inconsistent spraying practices but also integrates advanced data analytics for real-time monitoring.
By utilizing 4G/5G connectivity, these drones send crop data to the cloud, offering farmers actionable insights into field conditions, crop health, and fertilizer requirements. The combination of precision spraying and cloud-driven analytics presents a leap forward in farm management, especially for large-scale operations, making it a landmark in agrotech adoption.
Commenting on the development, Mr. Anoop Upadhyay, Co-founder of IoTechWorld Avigation, said:
“We are elated with the response and impact created in just 8 months under this partnership. This large-scale deployment of our AGRIBOT Krishi drones bears a solid testament to the advantages of precision agriculture. Drone data is sent to the cloud for real-time monitoring & data analytics. It is exciting to see this collaboration boost crop yields, reduce input costs, and ultimately improve the livelihoods of farmers across the designated states.”
The programme is using IoTechWorld AGRIBOT MX drones that according to the company release is equipped with a 25200 mAh Lithium-Ion battery, capable of covering up to 1500 acres per battery set. The drone’s spraying capacity, as per the release is up to 6 acres per hour, with the potential to cover 25 acres per day using multiple battery sets.
A Partnership Between IoTechWorld and IFFCO Drives the Innovation
IoTechWorld Avigation and IFFCO through the collaboration, aim to revolutionize agriculture by improving resource use efficiency and advancing sustainability.
The adoption of liquid Nano Urea and Nano DAP fertilizers, part of the initiative, represents a key step toward reducing chemical input dependency and promoting eco-friendly farming practices like ‘Jehar Mukat Kheti (Poison-Free Agriculture)’.
To incentivize farmers further, the partnership offers a limited-time opportunity for participants to earn an additional Rs 200 per acre for drone-based spraying. This financial incentive, coupled with the labor and input savings from drone technology, is poised to shift the economics of Indian agriculture, offering increased returns for both smallholder and large-scale farmers.
Read More: From Fields to Skies: The Growing Role of Drones in Indian Agriculture
What Agrotech Enthusiasts Should Watch
For those in the agrotech sector, this project sets the standard for the integration of aerial technology with cloud-based data systems, scaling precision agriculture across a massive 30 lakh acres. With IoTechWorld’s AGRIBOT drones designed to specifically meet the challenges of Indian terrain, the initiative’s success will likely spark further innovation in drone applications for pest control, irrigation, and crop health monitoring.
As drone-based technologies become integral to the next generation of farming, this collaboration between IoTechWorld and IFFCO offers a blueprint for leveraging technology to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in agriculture. Agrotech professionals will be closely watching how this initiative affects crop yields, sustainability goals, and farm-level economics in the coming seasons.
