Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), in its ten-day training on the use of drones in agriculture, trained its first batch of 36 "Green Pilots" for nano urea to boost the use of drone technology in the agriculture sector.
IFFCO, in a press release, informed that they, in collaboration with WOW Go Green organised a ten-day rigorous training on the use of drones in agriculture to make new entrepreneurs from the villages.
"A total of 36 participants including progressive farmers, entrepreneurs, FPOs, Cooperatives etc. from different states were part of the training course. This training was one of its kind in the country and was for the first time for farmers," they said.
The IFFCO, while giving a brief of its training said that it was conducted with stimulators gradually moving to smaller drones and ultimately to full-size agricultural drones.
"Within a few days of training, all these participants who had never even touched a drone before flew them efficiently. The participants successfully trained with the use of agri-drones were called "Green Pilots"," they said.
These green pilots have pledged not only to use this technology in their farms but also to raise awareness and share their knowledge with other farmers in their respective regions.
The programme was inaugurated by IFFCO's Managing Director, Dr US Awasthi who said that the use of drones in agriculture is a step ahead for modern precise farming.
"It will not only reduce the cost to the farmers but also help in increasing the production and quality of the crops. It will also produce entrepreneurs from villages thus training in drone technology will be highly beneficial to the farmers," he said.
The Marketing Director of IFFCO, Yogendra Kumar further added that the programme will provide a new way forward for the use of new technologies in agriculture.
"With the government planning to bring a policy on the use of agricultural drones it is of paramount importance that the farmers are trained in the use of this technology so that this technology is accepted as soon as it is officially announced. A 15-minute flight of an Agri-drone can spray fertilizer in an area of 2.5 acres," he said.
The initiative is IFFCO's step forward towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Atmanirbhar Krishi and Atmanirbhar Bharat by training farmers in modern agricultural technologies and to help them in doubling incomes by 2025. While addressing the Green Pilots during his visit to FMDI, Sachin Kumar, Under Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Fertilisers) appreciated and praised IFFCO's training programme.
( With inputs from ANI )
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