Tea farming involves spraying pesticides and fertilizers which farmers do manually putting their health and lives to risk. Many workers are known to have lost their lives to tuberculosis and respiratory diseases as they are not provided with protective gear like masks.

BRS Ventures that has acquired the world’s first tea company ‘Assam Company India Limited’ has decided to address this issue with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

Robotic Drones

At a workshop conducted in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, B R Shetty, Founder of BRS Ventures said that the company will introduce two robotic drones that will spray fertilizers and pesticides on the plants from a height of 6-8 feet. This will help reduce wastage of fertilizers and improve the quality of tea through the technique of precision spraying. The two drones are designed to perform varied functions. While one set will analyze the health of plants, soil conditions and other natural factors, the other will spray fertilizers and target pests.

Better Health of Tea Farmers

Tea farmers suffer due to the manual spraying of fertilizers and pesticides as particles are dispersed in the air causing respiratory diseases and TB which can be fatal. Farmers are to be provided with masks, gloves and goggles while spraying, but few employers adhere to such rules.

The drones will make their work easier, but that doesn’t mean that they will lose their jobs. Shetty has assured that the use of technology will not lead to retrenchment and they will be engaged in different areas.