Major plant protection companies, including biggies like Bayer, Syngenta, Dhanuka Agritech, BASF, UPL and Insecticides India Ltd (IIL), are planning to use drones on an experimental basis to spray chemicals this kharif season to understand its pros and cons before large-scale adoption for commercial use.
However, for some, the prohibitive cost of drones and the scarce availability of good quality drones is acting as a hindrance in realising some of the plans, market players and industry sources said.
Industry sources estimate that drones could be used for spraying pesticides and other plant chemicals in around 30,000 acres this kharif season