Press Release

• The ten day workshop organized from 28th November to 8th December 2021 to train farmers in the use of drones for the spraying fertilizers and insecticides over the crops.
• 36 participants from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujrat were trained at IFFCO’s Fertilizer Management Development Institute, Gurugram

New Delhi, 9th December, 2021: Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO) in collaboration with WOW Go Green organized a ten-day workshop on the use of agricultural drones from 28th November to 8th December 2021. This workshop was organized at Fertiliser Management Development Institute (FMDI), Gurugram which is a premier institute established in the year 1982 with state of art facilities for training progressive farmers interested in modern agriculture from all over the nation and abroad. A total of 36 participants including progressive farmers, entrepreneurs, FPOs, Cooperatives etc. from the states of Delhi (1), Haryana (15), Uttar Pradesh (11) and Gujarat (9) successfully completed the training course.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr. US Awasthi, Managing Director, IFFCO through virtual mode. He while addressing the farmers said that the use of drone in agriculture will not only reduce the cost to the farmers but also increase the production thus this training will be highly beneficial for the farmers. Yogendra Kumar, Marketing Director, IFFCO also addressed the participants and said that this programme will provide a new way for the development of agriculture.

During this 10 days training programme participants were provided comprehensive class room as well as practical training on drones such as uses of drones in agriculture, its operation and maintenance etc. Some of the major topics covered during this training programme were:

• Introduction, history, types, applications and future prospects of Drones.
• Regulation of DGCA, Civil Aviation
• Basic principle of flights
• Airspace structure and Airspace Restriction with knowledge of No drone Zones
• Flight Planning
• Collision avoidance Radio Telephony (RT) techniques Standard radio terminology,
• Payload installation, and utilization etc.
• Electronic speed controller, flight controllers
• Operation and application of drones etc.

The training started with stimulators gradually moving to smaller drones and ultimately to full size agricultural drones. Just in a few days of training, all these participants who had never even touched a drone before started flying them very efficiently. The participants who successfully trained with the use of agri-drones were called “Green Pilots”. These green pilots 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.

With 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 the official policy is announced. A 15 minute flight of an agri-drone can spray fertilizer in an area of 2.5 acres. IFFCO has taken a step forward in the view of Atmanirbhar Krishi and Atmanirbhar Bharat to boost the effectiveness of fertilizer application in order to fulfil the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farm incomes by 2025. IFFCO this step to provide training will make pioneers who will take India forward in the direction of modern agriculture.

These efforts of IFFCO were appreciated by Sachin Kumar, Under Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Fertilisers)- while addressing Green Pilots during his visit to FMDI.

Rakesh Kapur, JMD, IFFCO in his address during closing ceremony of the training programme said that the business model prepared by IFFCO and WOW for entrepreneurs is an achievable model and has great potential for success. On this occasion, Yogendra Kumar, Marketing Director, IFFCO appealed to all the Green Pilots to use drones with the aim of serving the farmers, instead of looking at it as a business.

IFFCO’s FMDI trains thousands of farmers and farming enthusiasts in various aspects of agriculture. It is one of its kind training institute with residential facilities for over hundreds of trainees. It is regularly visited by the experts and scientists from IFFCO and other premier institutions such as ICAR. IFFCO is not only a business it is a business by the farmers, for the farmers and to the farmers and FMDI is not the ways for IFFCO to serve the vast farming fraternity of the nation.