The Next Big Opportunity for Indian Agripreneurs

Drone technology is being deployed for pesticide spraying over six hectares of paddy fields in Nayagarh district, Odisha. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), under the Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Department, demonstrated the potential of this tech in Sajjanpada, showing how drones can bring precision, safety, and labour savings to pest control.

Until recently, farmers in rural India and especially small and marginal cultivators relied on manual spraying of pesticides using backpack sprayers or manual knapsack sprayers, which is slow, exposes workers to chemicals, is uneven, and demands a lot of labour especially during peak pest infestations. Labour shortages, rising costs of inputs and concerns over health risks have made those methods increasingly untenable.

With this drone initiative, the scenario can change significantly. Drones make spraying faster, uniform, and more precise. They reduce chemical wastage, lower human exposure, and can easily cover difficult terrain. The immediate beneficiaries are farmers, who can expect healthier crops, reduced labour costs, and better yields. Yet, the ripple effects extend far beyond. Local agro-service providers can establish drone-spraying businesses, equipment manufacturers can develop or supply agricultural drones, and MSMEs can offer services for training, maintenance, data analytics, and mapping. Each layer of this technology creates a new business model waiting to be scaled. Local agro-service providers and entrepreneurs who invest in drone spraying services can see business opportunities. The environment benefits via lower chemical runoff and more precise usage. Government agencies and extension services gain a new tool to promote sustainable agriculture.

After this, the expectation is that drone spraying becomes more common in more villages, more farmers are trained in how to operate or hire drone services, and local drone-service providers emerge. Policies or subsidies may follow to lower the cost barrier. Technology-assisted pest control may improve crop health and yield across larger areas. Sustainability and health safety could improve significantly.

For Indian MSMEs, especially agro-service providers, equipment manufacturers, drone operators, and input supply chains, there is a strong opportunity. MSMEs could set up local drone-spraying services, train operators, maintain and repair drone fleets, provide mapping or precision agriculture consultation. By becoming early entrants, MSMEs could capture local markets, possibly scaling across districts. There is also scope for MSMEs in tech development, for example hardware, sensors, AI-based spray path planning, and data analytics.

This seems like a promising development in modern agricultural technology. To fully realize the benefits, support is needed in training, regulatory clarity (for drone operation, permissions, safety norms), access to affordable drone equipment, and creating service-provider models that are financially viable for small farmers. Agripreneurs can look forward to government schemes to subsidize drone services, for KVKs and extension agencies to host more demonstrations, and for MSMEs to partner with local farmer groups to deploy these tools.

Check whether your district’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra offers or plans drone-spraying demos or services by visiting your state agriculture department site (for Odisha, see Odisha Agriculture Department). Explore becoming a certified drone operator via DGCA (see DGCA Remote Pilot Certificate portal). Research drone equipment providers or agro-service startups in your region to partner with or invest in. Attend local training offered by KVKs or similar extension bodies; often these are announced in district-level agriculture outreach programs.

This shift to drone-based pesticide spraying signals a move from labor-intensive, risky, and uneven pest control to precise, efficient, and safer agricultural practices. For MSMEs connected to agriculture, tech, and rural services, it opens paths to innovation, income, and sustainable growth. India’s farms and small businesses around them stand to gain if the right support systems scale this innovation well.