Agricultural drone demonstration held for farmers in J&K’s Samba

Samba/Jammu, Sep 8 (PTI) Residents of Raghuchak village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district witnessed a first-ever demonstration of agricultural drones by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

The demonstration marked a departure from the usual practice of security agencies educating locals in the border district about enemy drones from across the border.

Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Chief Scientist Prof Sanjay Khajuria told PTI, “The government of India has given us the project of agricultural drones, especially for the Jammu region. The aim of this mission is to make people aware about the drone in these 10 districts.”

Over 150 progressive farmers turned up for the live demonstration.

Ranjit Singh, the drone engineer, said the unmanned aerial vehicle is “used to spray pesticides”.

“You basically put water in it along with a map. It (drone) will complete the task in about six to seven minutes and return to its original location. You can also view the health of the crops with this device,” he said.

The demonstration also thrilled the farmers in attendance.

“It (drone) saves time and manages to cover the entire area in one go without us having to run up and down. We will see what other uses we can get out of this,” said Dharm Pal, a local farmer.

Similar demonstrations are likely to be held in other parts of Jammu to motivate the farmers to adopt the latest technologies in agriculture to increase productivity and reduce pollution.