AMARAVATI, 22 April 2025: Road and Buildings Minister BC Janardhan Reddy recently said that drone technology is redefining agriculture and making it a profitable enterprise in Andhra Pradesh.
He was speaking at a distribution event for agricultural machinery in Kovelakuntla, Banaganapalle constituency.
Addressing farmers gathered at the event, Minister Reddy noted that Andhra Pradesh is leading the charge in deploying drones for agriculture. “We are setting up a dedicated drone corporation and a drone hub across 300 acres in Orvakal,” he said.
He credited Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for swiftly approving the project and underscored the significance of Orvakal’s airport in facilitating a drone ecosystem.
Plans are afoot to launch drone training programmes in the region, he said, aiming to skill local youth and farmers in operating the cutting-edge equipment.
During his interaction with farmers, Minister Reddy enquired about their experiences with agricultural drones. Farmers told him that drone-based pesticide spraying is saving them around ₹700 per acre. “Especially in tall crops like maize, drones are helping reach inner parts of the fields that manual spraying often misses,” he noted, adding that this not only curbs pest infestations but also significantly reduces input costs.
Taking aim at the previous YSRCP administration, Reddy accused it of neglecting farm mechanisation. “In the past five years, not a single agricultural machine was distributed. Godowns sanctioned during our earlier TDP government were left idle,” he alleged.
He also raised concerns over irregularities in tractor distribution under the YSRCP’s tenure. “No one knows where those tractors ended up. I’ve ordered the agriculture department to conduct a thorough investigation,” he said.
Reminding the crowd of earlier initiatives under the TDP regime, the Minister highlighted the distribution of ‘Rythu Rathalu’ (farm vehicles) and hundreds of tractors with subsidies of up to ₹1 lakh.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to modernising agriculture, Minister Reddy said the state is focused on empowering farmers with the latest technology to boost yields and profits. “This is just the beginning of a new era in smart farming,” he declared.
