Amaravati Drone Summit: Farmers, techies throng exhibition stalls

VIJAYAWADA: People in large numbers thronged stalls on the last day of the two-day Amaravati Drone Summit-2024 held at the CK Convention Centre, on Wednesday.

Different drones and drone technologies were on display at 57 stalls occupied by manufacturers. Lined up were drones used for agriculture, security, military, communication restoration, disaster management, healthcare and food delivery.

Visitors, particularly farmers of Guntur, NTR districts and various other parts of the state made the most of the expo by learning about the range of drones that would aid them in farming operations such as spraying liquid-based fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides in agricultural fields.

Farmers evinced interest in the small and medium-category of drones and asked about the average duration taken for spraying fertiliser and pesticides in an acre.

“Being a student, particularly pursuing a BSc in agriculture, we are unaware of the wide range of drone technologies used in agricultural operations. Drones would help farmers tackle labour shortage,” one visitor said.

Shashank, a third-year BSc agriculture student at Vignan College said the possibilities of drone use in the agriculture sector are immense.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, IIT Tirupati director Professor KN Satyanarayana elaborated on the MoU that the institute is signing with the AP Drone Corporation. This would enable the two institutions to work together and create a positive ecosystem for drone manufacturing. “We would work on the modalities to transform AP into a pioneer in drone manufacturing in the country,” he said.