Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

General Aeronautics Begins Commercial Production Of Agricultural Drones

July 19, 2022
Drones

Drone startup General Aeronautics said it has begun commercial production of agricultural drones and aims to produce 100 units per month.

The Bangalore-based startup offers advanced aerial technology for agriculture, healthcare and unmanned aerial vehicle design.

“We have started commercial production this month after conducting trials for the last three years,” Srikanth Srinivasan, Head of Sales and Marketing, General Aeronautics, told PTI.

Trials were conducted on 45 crops on 10,000 acres of agrochemical company experimental plots in 14 states. Srikanth said the test results have been validated by 15 agricultural institutions. He said the drone, made by General Aeronautics under the brand name “Krishak,” has a payload of 16kg, has a flight time of 25 minutes and can cover up to six acres per battery charge with AI-assisted navigation.

According to the company, the nozzles used in cultivation are different, since the spraying is carried out without any danger in the form of mist, thus increasing coverage.

“The battery used now has a capacity of 600 cycles. The company is working on a new battery of 6,000 cycles,” said Srikanth.

The startup has priced its drone at Rs 25 lakh, which has three batteries. Its main clients are agrochemical companies such as Syngenta and Bayer Cropscience.

Last year, the government issued a standard operating procedure for the use of drones in the agricultural sector. The Union budget also boosted drones. The Ministry of Agriculture has developed a drone financing scheme for cooperatives, entrepreneurs and agricultural producer organizations.