Mumbai, September 12, 2022: Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture has announced that it will commence commercial application of drones in agriculture for the upcoming Kharif season from June 2022. Drone services will be made available for crop protection purposes across paddy, soybean, corn and cotton crops. In November 2021, Bayer became the first company to successfully conducted its first drone trial at a multi-crop breeding center in Chandipa, near Hyderabad in the presence of eminent partners, experts and stakeholders from the government and industry.
The commencement of services will benefit farmers across the states of Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Bayer has the capability to extend the benefit to other crops such as chilli, potato as well as vegetables, fruits and other field crops. Additionally, the move will also benefit Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Progressive farmers and provide opportunities to entrepreneurs interested in utilizing drone services for their enterprise. Bayer will support such entrepreneurs by facilitating machinery, Crop and product Knowhow business support and training.
Speaking on the development, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head - Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, said, “We welcome the government’s decision to allow commercial usage of drones for Crop protection purposes. This is a positive step towards sustainable agriculture and for enhancing smallholder farmers’ prosperity. We are committed to bringing about a positive change by advancing digitization and mechanization in agriculture to spur food security in the region.
Bayer has partnered with innovative drone startup, General Aeronautics Pvt. Ltd. and has previously conducted several in-house and external R&D trials with universities and central research institutions to generate data to make drone-based services available to farmers.
Drone applications in agriculture are endless – from efficient crop protection to spraying, mapping and surveying. Cumbersome tasks can be co-opted by such technologies, such as by ensuring the targeted, uniform application of insect, weed and disease-control products across the farmland, while limiting farmers’ risk of accidental exposure to chemicals. This can also lead to increased time in farmers’ hands for other tasks, which could spur diversification on their fields.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com
Media Contacts:
Snigdha Vishal
Communications Business Partner, CropScience - South Asia, Bayer
Email: snigdha.vishal@bayer.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports, which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.