Image © Mahinda P.Liyanage

SOURCE Ceylon : For the first time in Sri Lanka an experimental operation of spraying liquid organic fertilizer on paddy fields using an agricultural drone was put to trial in the Panwila paddy fields in Rathgama, Galle.

The initiative was launched by Fertilizer Production and Supply and Regulation of Chemical Fertilizer and Insecticide Use State Minister Mohan P. De Silva on Wednesday (25).

The objective of the programme was to brief farmers on the novel drone technology in paddy cultivation. Organic liquid fertilizer was sprayed over an extent of one and a half acres of paddy fields using the unmanned aerial device.

State Minister Mohan P.De.Silva said that the project was launched under the ministry’s mission of introducing new technology into agriculture under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ‘Vision of Prosperity’ election manifesto.

“We launched the programme on a trial basis. We have observed that some farmers use fertilizer in excessive proportions and they spend too much time on using fertilizer. They also bear high expenditure on fertilizer application.