Why Indian Agriculture Needs Drones: A Market Research Perspective on Precision Farming, Productivity, and Sustainability

Abstract

Indian agriculture is at a pivotal juncture, confronting intensifying structural pressures despite sustaining nearly 58% of the country’s population and supporting one of the world’s largest agricultural workforces. Rapid declines in per-capita arable land—from 0.52 hectares in 1950 to approximately 0.21 hectares in 2021—combined with highly fragmented landholdings, where over 70% of farmers operate plots smaller than one hectare, have progressively undermined the effectiveness of conventional mechanisation. These challenges are further exacerbated by climate variability, labour shortages, rising input costs, and growing sustainability mandates. Within this context, agricultural drones are increasingly transitioning from experimental tools to operational necessities. This study investigates why drone-based solutions are gaining strategic importance in Indian agriculture, adopting a market-oriented research perspective that integrates structural demand drivers, adoption barriers, policy enablers, and emerging business models. A descriptive and analytical methodology is employed, drawing on secondary data from government agencies, regulatory authorities, market intelligence reports, and industry publications spanning 2022–2025. The analysis synthesises evidence on landholding structures, technological readiness, regulatory frameworks, cost dynamics, and global trade disruptions to assess the economic and operational rationale for drone adoption. The findings indicate that small and nano agricultural drones are uniquely aligned with India’s fragmented farming systems, enabling precision spraying, crop monitoring, soil assessment, and time-critical operations at scale. India has recorded over 29,500 registered drones and 65 DGCA-certified agricultural drone models, signalling rapid institutionalisation. Large-scale deployments—such as drone-based spraying across 30 lakh acres in 12 states—demonstrate substantial efficiency gains, with drones covering six acres within two to three hours compared to several days via manual labour, alongside reported yield improvements of 30–35%. Policy initiatives, including the Digital Agriculture Mission (2021–2025) and the NaMo Drone Didi programme, have further accelerated adoption through skill development and service-based deployment. However, affordability remains a critical constraint, intensified by recent trade disruptions that imposed tariffs exceeding 100–170% on imported drone components. The study positions agricultural drones as essential instruments of productivity enhancement, sustainability, and resilience, underscoring the importance of service-based models, capacity building, and domestic manufacturing for inclusive and scalable adoption in Indian agriculture.