Drone startup Drone Destination has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with agritech firm DeHaat to provide drone solutions for Indian farmers.
Innovative͏͏ Drone Spraying͏͏ Services͏͏ for͏͏ Farmers:
The͏͏ partnership͏͏ will͏͏ allow͏͏ Drone͏͏ Destination͏͏ to͏͏ offer͏͏ drone͏͏ spraying͏͏ services͏͏ while͏͏ promoting͏͏ DeHaat’s͏͏ range͏͏ of͏͏ products,͏͏ including͏͏ seeds͏͏ and͏͏ fertilisers,͏͏ throughout͏͏ rural͏͏ India.͏͏ The͏͏ drone͏͏ tech͏͏ startup͏͏ announced͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ deploy͏͏ its͏͏ fleet͏͏ of͏͏ nearly͏͏ 250͏͏ drones͏͏ nationwide͏͏ for͏͏ this͏͏ initiative.
Through͏͏ its͏͏ network͏͏ of͏͏ over͏͏ 14,000͏͏ centres,͏͏ the͏͏ agritech͏͏ startup͏͏ will͏͏ generate͏͏ leads͏͏ for͏͏ drone͏͏ services͏͏ and͏͏ provide͏͏ agricultural͏͏ solutions͏͏ directly͏͏ to͏͏ end-users.͏͏ As͏͏ part͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ collaboration,͏͏ the͏͏ drone͏͏ startup͏͏ announced͏͏ that͏͏ DeHaat’s͏͏ app͏͏ will͏͏ be͏͏ integrated͏͏ with͏͏ Drone͏͏ Destination’s͏͏ platform͏͏ to͏͏ enable͏͏ seamless͏͏ operations͏͏ and͏͏ booking͏͏ management.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Agritech͏͏ startup͏͏ DeHaat sees͏͏ 40%͏͏ revenue͏͏ surge͏͏ in͏͏ FY24,͏͏ cuts͏͏ losses͏͏ by͏͏ half
Mobile͏͏ Drone͏͏ Services͏͏ to͏͏ Reach͏͏ Farmers:
Drone͏͏ Destination͏͏ CEO͏͏ and͏͏ founder͏͏ Chyrag͏͏ Sharmaa͏͏ stated,͏͏ “We͏͏ operate͏͏ our͏͏ own͏͏ Drone͏͏ Hub͏͏ on͏͏ wheels,͏͏ with͏͏ service͏͏ vans͏͏ carrying͏͏ pilots͏͏ and͏͏ technicians͏͏ constantly͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ move.͏͏ DeHaat͏͏ centres͏͏ will͏͏ serve͏͏ as͏͏ lead͏͏ generation͏͏ points͏͏ for͏͏ us.͏͏ Once͏͏ bookings͏͏ are͏͏ made,͏͏ our͏͏ teams͏͏ will͏͏ visit͏͏ the͏͏ farmers,͏͏ carry͏͏ out͏͏ the͏͏ spray͏͏ service,͏͏ and͏͏ collect͏͏ payment.”
Drone͏͏ Destination͏͏ announced͏͏ that͏͏ it͏͏ will͏͏ register͏͏ as͏͏ a͏͏ service͏͏ provider͏͏ on͏͏ DeHaat’s͏͏ platform,͏͏ while͏͏ DeHaat͏͏ will͏͏ list͏͏ its͏͏ agricultural͏͏ products͏͏ and͏͏ services͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ drone͏͏ tech͏͏ startup’s͏͏ platform.
Sharmaa͏͏ added,͏͏ “Our͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ DeHaat͏͏ will͏͏ expand͏͏ our͏͏ presence͏͏ and͏͏ strengthen͏͏ our͏͏ network.͏͏ We͏͏ currently͏͏ operate͏͏ in͏͏ 12͏͏ states,͏͏ while͏͏ DeHaat͏͏ is͏͏ active͏͏ in͏͏ 11,͏͏ with͏͏ overlap͏͏ in͏͏ 7͏͏ states.͏͏ This͏͏ partnership͏͏ enables͏͏ us͏͏ to͏͏ boost͏͏ capacity͏͏ and͏͏ demand͏͏ in͏͏ each͏͏ village͏͏ or͏͏ district.”
DeHaat͏͏ cofounder͏͏ and͏͏ director͏͏ Amrendra͏͏ Singh͏͏ said,͏͏ “Our͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ Drone͏͏ Destination͏͏ marks͏͏ another͏͏ major͏͏ step͏͏ forward.͏͏ By͏͏ combining͏͏ drone͏͏ technology͏͏ with͏͏ our͏͏ comprehensive͏͏ agricultural͏͏ services,͏͏ we͏͏ aim͏͏ to͏͏ equip͏͏ farmers͏͏ with͏͏ advanced͏͏ tools͏͏ to͏͏ boost͏͏ crop͏͏ yield͏͏ and͏͏ promote͏͏ sustainable͏͏ farming͏͏ practices.”
He͏͏ explained,͏͏ “Drones͏͏ help͏͏ tackle͏͏ labour͏͏ shortages,͏͏ particularly͏͏ in͏͏ crops͏͏ like͏͏ soybean͏͏ and͏͏ sugarcane,͏͏ where͏͏ manual͏͏ spraying͏͏ is͏͏ hazardous͏͏ or͏͏ challenging.͏͏ They͏͏ also͏͏ allow͏͏ for͏͏ precision͏͏ spraying͏͏ and͏͏ foliar͏͏ application,͏͏ which͏͏ enhances͏͏ nutrient͏͏ absorption͏͏ through͏͏ the͏͏ leaves.”
This͏͏ partnership͏͏ follows͏͏ Drone͏͏ Destination’s͏͏ collaboration͏͏ with͏͏ the͏͏ National͏͏ Small͏͏ Industries͏͏ Corporation͏͏ (NSIC)͏͏ two͏͏ months͏͏ ago͏͏ to͏͏ establish͏͏ a͏͏ drone͏͏ training͏͏ centre͏͏ at͏͏ the͏͏ National͏͏ Science͏͏ and͏͏ Technology͏͏ Council͏͏ in͏͏ Delhi.
Founded͏͏ in͏͏ 2019͏͏ by͏͏ Sharmaa,͏͏ Drone͏͏ Destination͏͏ claims͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ India’s͏͏ largest͏͏ drone͏͏ pilot͏͏ training͏͏ provider͏͏ and͏͏ a͏͏ leading͏͏ drone-as-a-service͏͏ company.͏͏ Its͏͏ portfolio͏͏ includes͏͏ solutions͏͏ for͏͏ agricultural͏͏ spraying,͏͏ aerial͏͏ surveying,͏͏ and͏͏ asset͏͏ inspection͏͏ services.͏͏ The͏͏ company͏͏ is͏͏ also͏͏ reported͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ collaborating͏͏ closely͏͏ with͏͏ the͏͏ Survey͏͏ of͏͏ India.
It͏͏ was͏͏ listed͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ NSE͏͏ Emerge͏͏ platform͏͏ in͏͏ July͏͏ of͏͏ last͏͏ year.
Meanwhile,͏͏ DeHaat,͏͏ founded͏͏ in͏͏ 2012,͏͏ operates͏͏ a͏͏ network͏͏ of͏͏ over͏͏ 14,000͏͏ centres͏͏ across͏͏ 11͏͏ states,͏͏ serving͏͏ more͏͏ than͏͏ 2.7͏͏ million͏͏ farmers.͏͏ The͏͏ company͏͏ provides͏͏ services͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ distribution͏͏ of͏͏ agricultural͏͏ inputs,͏͏ farm͏͏ advisory,͏͏ financial͏͏ services,͏͏ and͏͏ market͏͏ linkages͏͏ for͏͏ selling͏͏ farm͏͏ produce.
Government͏͏ Initiatives͏͏ to͏͏ Boost͏͏ Drone͏͏ Adoption:
This͏͏ comes͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ time͏͏ when͏͏ the͏͏ Centre͏͏ has͏͏ been͏͏ actively͏͏ promoting͏͏ the͏͏ use͏͏ of͏͏ drones͏͏ to͏͏ enhance͏͏ agricultural͏͏ efficiency͏͏ through͏͏ initiatives͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ Drone͏͏ Didi͏͏ scheme͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ Kisan͏͏ Drone͏͏ scheme.
Additionally,͏͏ the͏͏ Centre͏͏ banned͏͏ imports͏͏ of͏͏ most͏͏ drones͏͏ last͏͏ year͏͏ to͏͏ significantly͏͏ boost͏͏ the͏͏ domestic͏͏ drone͏͏ manufacturing͏͏ ecosystem.͏͏ According͏͏ to͏͏ reports,͏͏ the͏͏ Indian͏͏ drone͏͏ tech͏͏ sector͏͏ is͏͏ projected͏͏ to͏͏ reach͏͏ a͏͏ market͏͏ size͏͏ of͏͏ $13͏͏ billion͏͏ by͏͏ 2030.
