Garuda Aerospace's partnership with Ninjacart

Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has partnered with Flipkart-backed agri-commerce start-up Ninjacart. Through this, there is a plan to bring tech innovation to India's agriculture sector. Through this strategic tie-up, both companies will provide short-term financing options to the farmers, so that they can use the latest drone technology at an affordable cost.
Using drones in agricultural land can not only help improve crop yields for farmers but also reduce costs. Apart from technology, Garuda and Ninjacart will also provide training and business opportunities to rural entrepreneurs in the villages. People will be given the training to operate drones. Both start-ups claim that rural youth can earn from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 per month.
Kartheeswaran KK, Co-Founder, of Ninjacart said, “We believe in leveraging technology to make farming more efficient and profitable for farmers. The use of drones will help in soil analysis, water management and precision agriculture. At the same time, Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, said, 'This collaboration will help develop a lasting impact on the agriculture sector.'
Garuda Aerospace currently has a fleet of 400 'Made-in-India' drones and a team of over 500 pilots across 84 cities in India. Whereas, Ninjacart works with over one lakh farmers in 150 villages and helps them improve their yield and income. Since 2020, Flipkart and Walmart have invested $175 million in Ninjacart.
Agri drones are used for spraying pesticides and fertilizers as well as for sowing crops. With the inclusion of artificial intelligence in drone technology, crop monitoring and nutrient management are also done. How much will be the crop can also be predicted accurately.
There are currently about 40 schools in India offering drone pilot training, which is approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Seeing the demand for drones, many more schools are being opened. Last year, a fair was organized in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh regarding Agri Drones.
Many drone manufacturing companies were involved in this. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh, who came to inaugurate the fair, announced the opening of 5 drone schools, describing drone technology as a new revolution. According to an estimate, there is currently a shortage of thousands of drone pilots in the country. With the rapid increase in the use of drones, this number will increase even more.
India is the second-largest country in the world in terms of population and the seventh-largest country in terms of area. In such a situation, it is very challenging to provide food security to such a large population. That's why it is necessary that modern and technical farming should be expanded instead of traditional farming. Due to the rising cost of cultivation, farmers are also facing losses from farming.
In such a situation, precision farming done through technology like drones can give a better option to the farmers of the country. Using drones, farmers can increase their income by reducing costs and saving time. Spraying pesticides in the traditional way also affects the health of the farmer, but this can be avoided by using drones.