Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday directed officials to enhance the versatility of drone usage in agriculture by deploying them for soil testing as well.
He issued these guidelines during a review meeting of the agriculture department, calling for extensive use of drones by the Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) for this purpose.
It will help implement the 'plant doctor' concept successfully, including arriving at the correct estimates of productivity and maintaining other data, Reddy was quoted as saying in a government press release issued on Friday.
On officials informing the chief minister that drones are being deployed to arrive at paddy production estimates, he suggested that they should be used for other crops as well.
Besides using drones for spraying pesticides, the CM suggested that they can be used for multiple other purposes, adding that all the 10,000 RBKs should be equipped with drones.
Meanwhile, officials apprised Reddy that 222 farmers were trained on how to operate drones under a pilot project. The department is procuring the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-certified drones as well as following safety measures during their operation, they added.
Further, officials are preparing a draft bill on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) Act, 2023 to ensure MSP for all agricultural produce and also to bring aquaculture and dairy farmers under its purview.
-With PTI Input
