Salam Kisan wins MAIDC tender for drone spraying services in Maharasthra

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Salam Kisan, an agri-tech platform, has won the tender from the Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra Agro-Industries Development Corporation (MAIDC) for drone spraying services.

A media statement said Salam Kisan has won the technical bid for the MAIDC tender, which will see drones deployed in every taluk of Maharashtra. This initiative is part of the Maharashtra Government’s larger effort to explore the deployment of agricultural drones across the state, helping to increase efficiency in farming practices. As part of this initiative, the government plans to train SC/ST, marginalised women, and rural youth, empowering them to become rural entrepreneurs, known as ‘Drone Didis’ or ‘Lakhpati Didis’. The government will also provide a subsidy of up to ₹5 lakh for the purchase of drones, making this technology more affordable for farmers, it said.

Focus on precision farming

As part of Salam Kisan’s collaboration with the fertilizer cooperative IFFCO, the company will deploy drones in Maharashtra’s water-scarce regions of Sanagali and Kolhapur to conserve resources and boost productivity. Salam Kisan’s association with FMC will focus on precision farming in the Wardha, Amravati, and Yavatmal regions. These larger farming areas will benefit from drones that cover extensive fields quickly and efficiently, improving day-to-day farming operations, the statement said.

In addition to the technical deployment, Salam Kisan aims to train 500 drone pilots and create 1,000 job opportunities across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, it said, adding, the company is setting up a remote pilot training organisation to provide comprehensive training programmes for aspiring drone operators.

Quoting Dhanashree Mandhani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Salam Kisan, the statement said, “Our collaboration with MAIDC, IFFCO, and FMC represents a transformative shift in Indian agriculture. By integrating drones as a service, we are enhancing crop yields, reducing costs, conserving water, and empowering rural youth and women. Our goal is to create 1,000 job opportunities, train over 500 drone pilots, and help farmers cover over 1 million acres of farmland in our first year. With the support of the government and our industry partners, we are enabling farmers to embrace modern farming solutions and become more resilient in the face of climate change.”