Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Chittoor Farmers Use Drones to Transform Crop Spraying Services
Farmers in Chittoor bought a drone to spray crops.
They received training and financial help from the government.
The farmers also contributed some of their own money.
Instead of using several workers for many hours, the drone can spray an acre in about five to 10 minutes in normal conditions.
One farmer said the time can range from eight to 15 minutes depending on the field.
The group now sprays crops for other farmers for a fee.
More than 400 farmers used the service during the past year.
Farmers say the drone saves labour, water and spraying materials.
They also say it can lower costs and keep workers away from pesticide mixtures.
A five-member farmer group in Gundlapalli runs a fee-based drone spraying service.
The group served more than 400 farmers across about 1,500 acres during the past year.
Drone spraying takes about five to 10 minutes per acre under normal conditions, compared with several hours manually.
Farmers report reduced labour, water, spraying-solution and pesticide-related costs, as well as more even coverage.
The group contributed about ₹2 lakh toward the equipment, while government support included training and a reported ₹7.84 lakh subsidy.
- Who
- A five-member farmer group led by K.G. Tulasiram, operating Sri Vinayaka Drone Yantra Seva Kendra, provides the service.
- What
- The group uses a government-supported drone to spray crops for nearby farmers.
- When
- The group trained in August last year and provided services to more than 400 farmers during the following year.
- Where
- The service centre is in Gundlapalli village, Melmai panchayat, in Gangavaram mandal of Chittoor district.
- Why
- The service helps address agricultural labour shortages and reduce the time, water, materials and expense involved in spraying.
- Farmers served
- More than 400 during the past year
- Area covered
- About 1,500 acres
- Manual spraying time
- About five to six hours per acre, requiring several workers
- Drone spraying time
- Generally five to 10 minutes per acre; eight to 15 minutes depending on field conditions
- Farmer contribution
- About ₹2 lakh
- Reported government subsidy
- ₹7.84 lakh
- Reported cost reduction
- Papaya farmer Manjunath Reddy reported a decline from ₹60,000–₹70,000 to ₹20,000–₹25,000 per acre
