Amidst the 9 month long unrest youths and farmers trying to gain knowledge on the uses of UAVs, to increase crop yield. This method has a more relevant scope in maximising crop production and farmers’ income.

This hands-on workshop on robotics and drone application in a state like Manipur is the first of its kind. Indigenous Drone Made in Manipur were assembled just in a day

Organised by the Manipur Regional Office of NABARD, in partnership with the School of Horticulture at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Utlou, Bishnupur.

This training program focuses on using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to effectively control diseases and pests in fields by spraying them with organic based inputs, in addition to imparting technical competence on drone operation.

Talking to KRC correspondent  Dr.Senjam Jinus, Associate Dean of the School of Horticulture at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Institute of Agricultural Science Utlou expressed the rationale behind the workshop’s organization and discussed its potential implications for the state of Manipur.

He further stressed the need for such technologies in Manipur’s farming communities which will help in creating skilled laborers in the agricultural sector making them more advanced.

“Yes, I feel really happy that we were able to develop our own locally made drones specially designed for this workshop by our specialist Nandalal Thiyam in a day .”

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A group of young drone experts gathered to demonstrate the applications and construction of drones for usage in Manipur’s horticultural crops. This kind of locally produced drone and its educational workshop for farmers and youth will be the first of its kind in Northeast India, bringing together young professionals in a single workshop setting.

Throughout the event, experts showcased and elucidated the comprehensive applications of this technology, which include seed sowing, crop pollination, and human-free herbicide application by precisely determining the target area and timing of the spray through the Internet of Things technology.

They further clarified that this technology can be applied to the harvesting of fruits, urea fertilizer application, foliar irrigation, and pesticide treatment with minimal labour requirements.

To teach participants how to balance their flying, each participant was allowed to pilot a locally manufactured drone during the final hour of the program.

Two young Manipuri experts have teamed up in the workshop to show the audience their proficiency in various areas. The drone was locally manufactured in Manipur. On the other hand, NE Agritech, a recently established firm, is constructing drones in Manipur using imported materials to test their viability with the local farmers there. L. Albert Singh is the founder of NE Agritech and is the one who first proposed introducing this technology to Manipur.

The founder of NE Agritech attended the session as well and shared his drone-related experiences. He has covered a lot of ground on drone pilot certification, usage guidelines, drone types, drone prices, and drone applications for agricultural and horticultural crops. He has brought various agricultural drones and his technical team to demonstrate for the attendees. A single drone was used to demonstrate the use of water spraying in vegetable crops during the event.

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