India: To assess the soil quality and measure the crop loss to floods, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has shown interest in deploying sensors and drones. According to T. Mohapatra, Director General of ICAR, drones could play a crucial role in estimating the damage and speed up the analysis. He also conceded that under the current policy, unless a large area gets damaged, farmers do not get compensation.
“We are developing drone-based technology, using new sensors to understand and assess crop losses,” he said, adding the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, a premier ICAR institution in Delhi, in association with a few other agencies, including ISRO and IIT-Delhi, is working in this area. Dr. Mohapatra, who is Secretary to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, said this in an interaction with presspersons during a visit to the Indian Institute of Millets Research here on Saturday.
Source: Hindu
