Mechanisation and digitisation: Uttar Pradesh farmers eye rich harvest

From drones to laser levellers, farmers in UP are increasingly adopting technology, Aditi Phadnis reports from the fields of Mohanlalgunj, near Lucknow

In the verdant fields of Uttar Pradesh, change is in the air. 

Shiv Kumar, a diminutive figure amid the swaying amaranth fields of Kebuli village in the Mohanlalgunj Lok Sabha constituency, proudly announces his new role as a drone pilot. His 25 kg drone, he explains, can deliver precise dosages of both fertiliser and water to his fields, eliminating waste and reducing input costs. When he’s not using the drone on his own land, he rents it out to nearby farmers, providing an additional source of income. 

“Mechanisation and digitisation have transformed agriculture in Uttar Pradesh in the past five-six years like never before,” says Hemant Dwivedi ‘Nirala’, a farmer himself and head of a farmer producers organisation (FPO).

K V Raju, chief economic advisor to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, enumerates the inherent advantages of Uttar Pradesh. “It is the largest state in India and has been for some time now, the largest producer of milk, sugarcane, rice, and wheat.” 

But what has really added a cutting edge to productivity, he says, is mechanisation. “We have set up cluster-based hiring centres for tractors, drones, etc. This is done by the state government with the support of private companies.” In addition, the government has undertaken large-scale extension activity. 

Besides all this, a priority is the direct benefit transfer of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). Uttar Pradesh is the largest beneficiary of this scheme. This has helped farmers create a corpus of capital and break free from the control of moneylenders and other financial institutions that might pay farmers but with a time-lag. “For farmers, this is timely money,” he says. “This has made a huge difference.”

Raju says the distribution of quality seeds and procurement of produce has also made a critical difference. Dwivedi endorses this: “Mechanisation has really helped us. Drones, for instance, help in measuring the exact amount of pesticide the area requires. This means no waste and therefore, lower input costs than before. And if you don’t own a drone, you can borrow one from the hiring centre. The other big plus for farmers is the training centres. It’s not that earlier farmers did not know how to use pesticides or fertilisers. But it was pretty much trial and error. Now there are experts who tell us not just how much, but when and how to use pesticides. Earlier, scientists would come, explain and go away. Getting back in touch with them was not an option. But now, the mobile phone is the farmer’s best friend. And of course, as an FPO, we connect our members to all these facilities.” 

He likens the FPO-farmer relationship to a bunch of grapes. "Grapes have value as long as they’re in a bunch. Loose grapes fetch no price, even though their quality might be good. I always tell our members that together we have more authority and power than separately.”

But how are farmers using their newfound wealth? Dwivedi says a farmer’s income comes from two sources. “The government is buying land to develop highways and roads. Farmers are getting muawza (compensation). And, of course, there is higher income from agriculture because of lower input costs and value addition. Near Lucknow, more farmers are growing vegetables that they haul to Lucknow and sell at the market. But many others are growing cash crops like mentha and ramdaana (amaranth seeds). This makes for good profits.”

Farmers, Dwivedi says, are using the liquid capital to buy more land or big houses or big cars. Some are also using it in the time-honoured way, for weddings. “But then, there is the realisation that once your asset is gone and income dries up, you are likely to become impoverished.”

Because of this, now farmers – both collectively and individually – are investing in farm machinery. One farmer who received compensation from selling his land to the government has invested in buying a farm machinery bank – with a laser leveller, drones, and tractors. He received an 80 per cent subsidy from the government.

Dwivedi tells the story: “From part of the money he got, he bought land, which had a very high pH level. It was barren. He got the laser leveller, flattened the land, got experts under the CSIR’s Aroma Mission programme to advise him on how to use it. He is now growing khus and lemongrass. He had bought 80 bigha (around 50 acres). He’s now earning good money and deploying the machinery he owns to multiply his earnings."

He says there are hundreds of such examples. But he hastens to add that training programmes for farmers are “oont ke munh mein jeera (much less than required)” at the moment. They need to be diversified and expanded.

Meanwhile, Shiv Kumar deftly manages his drone as he says he is putting his daughter through training as a drone didi: To teach her how to repair drones. Kebuli village has its own mentha oil separator. It has just one Muslim household, but there has never been any tension between communities, locals say. The obvious signs of prosperity are missing. But “life is fine,” Shiv Kumar says.