"The cost of traditional pesticide spraying is around Rs 2,000 per acre. With drones, this drops significantly, and up to 10 acres can be covered per day" - Mandal agricultural officer Madhavi.
VISAKAPATNAM: Vizianagaram district is launching a drone-based farming initiative aimed at supporting small and marginal farmers as part of the Swarna Andhra Vision 2047. The programme seeks to modernise agricultural practices, reduce cultivation costs, and address the growing labour shortage through technology-driven solutions.
In the first phase of implementation, 34 farmer groups, which include 24 in Vizianagaram and 10 in neighbouring Parvathipuram Manyam, will receive agricultural drones. To ensure a smooth rollout, 22 individuals have already completed specialised training at centres in Guntur and Vijayawada, with the state government covering the Rs 70,000 training cost per person.
"The cost of traditional pesticide spraying is around Rs 2,000 per acre. With drones, this drops significantly, and up to 10 acres can be covered per day," said Mandal agricultural officer Madhavi.
She emphasised the eligibility criteria, stating that one group member must hold an Intermediate education. The initiative is also giving priority to women farmer groups in an effort to promote gender equity in agricultural technology adoption.
Madhavi explained that participants will receive official Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) licences upon training completion, allowing them to legally operate the drones. "Previously, Agro Guntur University provided a 12-day training programme. Now, private companies are offering 10-day courses that include five days of theory and five of practical, residential training," she added.
According to the officer, the programme utilises two types of drones: smaller models for pesticide spraying and medium-sized ones for dusting and fertiliser application.
District agriculture officer V.T. Rama Rao emphasised the model's sustainability, noting that 24 drones have already been sanctioned in Vizianagaram. "This programme balances farmer investment, institutional credit, and state subsidy," he said. The district is deploying awareness teams to assist farmers with implementation.
The initiative is particularly significant for Vizianagaram, where nearly 75% of the 3.56 lakh farmers are small and marginal landholders.
Rama Rao explained the financial structure of the programme, stating that "First, the group creates a bank account where they deposit Rs 5 lakhs. We approve Rs 5 lakh loan to cover the Rs 10 lakh drone cost. After verification, an 80% subsidy, amounting to Rs 8 lakh, is credited to the account. Farmers recover their initial investment, the bank loan is cleared, and farmers ultimately pay only Rs 2 lakh," he explained.
This initiative marks a revival of agricultural subsidies that were prominent during the previous Telugu Desam (TD) government, which had offered up to 70% subsidies on harvesters and sprayers. Those programmes were discontinued under the YSR Congress government, which had cited its "Rythu Bharosa" programme as an alternative. Although 60 drones were promised and 47 youth trained under that earlier plan, actual distribution never materialised. The present government is now revitalising and expanding the drone initiative.
