Aerial drones look set to bring about major changes in agricultural activities in the State just as elsewhere in the world. The Centre has come out with a policy to encourage the deployment of drone technology in various fields and has provided concessions for the same.
Drones are being increasingly used for precision fertilizer and pesticide applications and identification of diseases and plant conditions. Start-ups have helped the spread of the technology with increasing sophistication and they say farmers and those in other areas have eagerly embraced the use of drones both for aerial and underwater operations.
Though the Department of Agriculture and the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) are yet to come out with guidelines on the use of drones, trials have been undertaken in different parts of the State on the use of the technology.