Rayagada: A farmer of Sanyashiguda village under Gudari block in Rayagada district has derived the true meaning and spirit from the adage “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Babu Rao, who felt spraying of fertilizers in his field an arduous task, has successfully developed a multi-purpose drone that not only sprays pesticides and fertilizers in acres of land but also does the job of sowing seeds.
After research and experiment for over a year, Rao has developed the first of its kind drone. The 12kg mechanical ‘humming bird’ can spray 10 litres of liquid fertilizer over one acre of farm within seven minutes and is fitted with GPS.
Interestingly, Rao, hailing from a prosperous farmer family, is not an engineer. After graduation, he went on to pursue B.Ed. However, he had not been able to secure a proper job. But that did not deter him from pursuing his interest – farming.
Rao designed the drone watching YouTube videos and spent Rs 3.50 lakh on its development. He says that the machine will address the shortage of manpower in the agriculture field, bring efficiency in farming activity and improve productivity.
He drew inspiration from the farming practices in western countries and decided to replicate them in his village.
“Once I watched a YouTube video that farmers in foreign countries have been using drones in spraying pesticides in the field. Inspired, I started making a drone myself,” Rao said.
“It took me 20 months to make the drone. It can be used for spraying pesticides, sprinkling fertilizer granules, irrigation and for seeding as well. I visited all states to look for the parts. I had to import some pieces from China as well and even manufactured some parts from scratch,” Rao explained.
The new-age technology has taken the local farmers by surprise. “This drone is very efficient. It is easy to operate. We can use it as per our need as it has various benefits. The fertilizers also reach the roots of the crops and accurate targets are achieved using this device,” a farmer said.
“It can be a boon for farmers who are struggling with irrigation problems, labour cost and deficit of equipment. I have enrolled the device in Mukhya Mantri Abhinav Krishi Yantrapati Samman because I want the device to reach a greater platform so that it can be beneficial to farmers across the country,” Rao said.
It may be mentioned Rao was felicitated as the ‘Best Farmer’ by the state government back in 2014 for using innovative techniques in farming.
PNN