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The Indian government has released a standard operating
procedure (SOP) involving the use of drones for the application of
pesticides in agriculture, forestry and non-cropped areas. A
"conditional exemption" for use of the technology has been cleared
by the country's Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the Indian
aviation watchdog, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
While the SOP covers aspects such as drone registration, flying
permission, crowded area restrictions, insurance and emergency
handling plans, among others, it also lays down several statutory
provisions governing drone-based spraying. The provisions mandate
drone operators to use only approved insecticides and formulations
at authorised concentration and height, adding that the area of
application must be marked by the operators. Furthermore, it states
that aerial operations must be notified to the public at least 24
hours in advance through written submissions to competent local
authorities.
Operators are required to abide by existing regulations,
including obtaining a unique identification number (UIN) from the
DGCA, besides ensuring that the drone hardware and firmware are
compliant with the latter's Digital Sky platform. An unmanned
aircraft operator permit (UAOP) is to be obtained in case the
operator intends to deploy the drones commercially. Precautions to
be implemented include calibration of the spray system to ensure
optimum nozzle output, marking of proposed treatment areas, setting
up buffer zones between drone treatment and non-target crops, and
confirming the presence of water sources in the vicinity of treated
areas, among others.
The SOP notes that the drones must include features such as
"return to home" (RTH) on empty tank and be able to resume the
mission from the point where RTH was engaged. Furthermore, it
mandates that drone operators electronically submit spray
monitoring data to India's Central Insecticide Board &
Registration Committee (CIB&RC) within seven days of
undertaking spraying operations.
Industry reaction
Agrochemical industry association CropLife India has hailed the
government's move. It welcomes the development as a "proud moment"
for the country and anticipates the SOP becoming the "benchmark"
for similar engagements in other Asian countries.
CropLife India highlights that it took part in several
deliberations, adding that the SOP consultation process "greatly
appreciated" its inputs on the matter. With the framework in place,
the association's chief executive officer, Asitava Sen, urged
industry players to set afoot required trials, apply for product
registrations and collaborate with drone manufacturers and service
providers. He also observed that the government must focus on ease
of doing business to ensure rapid proliferation of the technology
and prevent hurdles in their adoption.
Stepping stones
While the civilian use of drones in India is regulated under a
strict set of guidelines, the idea of using drones in agriculture
had gained traction over the past couple of years with the domestic
agrochemical industry urging the government to design a policy. As
a first step in the direction, India conditionally allowed the
deployment of drones to tackle an unprecedented infestation of
desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) in 2020. A
preliminary framework was believed to be in the offing when in
November last year India-based research centre, International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT - Hyderabad),
was granted "conditional exemption" for six months to conduct
agricultural research using drones.
This was followed by the country's Ministry of Agriculture and
Farmers' Welfare getting a DGCA permission in February to use the
technology for capturing images of rice and wheat fields in 100
districts for insurance surveys. The biggest impetus came with the
government initiating a dialogue with stakeholders in June
following the publication of a consultation paper on the country's
national digital agriculture ecosystem, dubbed the IDEA (India
Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture). In the run-up to the SOP being
published, national media reported in November that Chennai-based
drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace was to manufacture 1,000 drones
for use in the country's agriculture sector.
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