The Indian government is planning to purchase drone technology to improve and speed up assessments of crop damage, improving the compensation system for farmers within its newly-unveiled insurance scheme.

A formal procurement process for the unmanned aircraft technology is expected to be announced in March and the insurance scheme, known as Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, is set for launch in June this year.

Pictures captured by the drones will be collated with satellite images in a particular region to collect crop yield data. This will help insurance companies to conduct a precise and faster assessment of damage to insured crops, accelerating the financial settlement for the farmers – and so minimising hardship and economic damage whilst they await compensation payments.

“We have already given an in-principle approval to Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) for purchase of a drone technology. An e-tender will be issued next month [March],” a senior official with the Ministry of Agriculture told Press Trust of India. The existing system of assessment relies on field reports and observations made by local authorities, making it both slow and labour-intensive.

The government is considering buying at least 20 drones in the next five years if the initial trials are successful. Funds for the drone programme have already been allocated in the 2015-16 budget.

Drone companies already active in India include SkyMet, Amigo Optima, Precision Hawk and Techbaaz. In 2015, SkyMet and the Agriculture Insurance Company of India carried out a pilot scheme surveying crop damage, and this has been extended in 2016.

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s administration is determined to promote the use of technology, especially in the antiquated agricultural sector – which provides a livelihood for about 263m farmers. The government billed the repackaged insurance scheme, which aims to boost the use of remote-sensing technology and smartphones as well as drones, as a “historic” and “pioneering” move.

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