IoTechWorld Avigation, India’s leading agri-drone manufacturer, and Syngenta India, an agricultural science company, have collaborated to develop a sustainable DaaS (drone-as-a-service) business model and will launch commercial spraying services in four major states – Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Haryana – in the upcoming Kharif and Rabi crop seasons.
IoTechWorld and Syngenta have already carried out a Drone Yatra in 13 states, demonstrating the benefits of agricultural drones to over one lakh farmers during a 17,000-kilometer journey.
A joint pilot activity using actual agrochemicals has already been completed in Ludhiana, Punjab, where farmers and agri-entrepreneurs were briefed on the benefits of using drone technology in agrochemical spraying.
Underlining the project, Deepak Bhardwaj, Co-Founder, IoTechWorld Avigation said, We have partnered with Syngenta India to enable drone spraying across India. We conducted a pilot in Punjab, and the response has been very positive. As a next step, both companies intend to expand their operations in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The goal is to educate farmers and other stakeholders about the advantages of spraying with drones.”
“In many ways, our collaboration is unique. While our product Agribot is India’s first DGCA-type certified drone, Syngenta is the first private company to receive approval from the Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee, to use drones for crop protection product spraying in crops such as paddy, wheat, sugarcane, potato, hot pepper, and so on. It is natural for customers, including farmers and agri-entrepreneurs, to have faith in our collaborative efforts,” Bhardwaj added.
Highlighting the collaboration, Mahantesh Chulaki, Lead – Operations, Syngenta India, said, “Many agritech and startups like the idea of this sustainable cluster-based DaaS business model since it guarantees YOY spray demand from Syngenta, lowering the risk of capital investment for drone service providers. Even financial institutions such as SBI, which is providing capital loans of up to Rs 2 crores through the GOI’s AIF (Agriculture Infrastructure Fund) scheme, are confident in disbursing the loan since their risk is mitigated by Syngenta’s guaranteed business demand.”
For this DaaS model developed by IoTechWorld and Syngenta, the State Bank of India has already disbursed AIF loans to drone service providers in Haryana, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh.
Read more: Agritech startup, TartanSense rebrands as Niqo Robotics to commercialise AI-powered robotics for agriculture
RuralMarketing.in is now on Telegram. Click here to join Rural Marketing on Telegram and stay updated with the latest news and updates on rural business and the economy.
