New Delhi, February 11 The government has prepared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the application of drone technology in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said his ministry has taken an initiative to promote the use of drone technology in fisheries and aquaculture.
"This is a pioneering initiative in the fisheries sector for introducing drone applications in the transportation, surveillance, disease monitoring, and feed spraying of fish and shrimp," he said.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI), based in West Bengal, has developed and field-tested drone technology for the transportation of live fish.
The drone is capable of transporting up to 70 kg of fish/shrimp and other related materials.
The minister further stated that a technical committee has finalized the draft SOPs for the application of drone technology in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
"The draft SOPs, among other things, envisage drone-based monitoring and disease surveillance in aquaculture farms across the country, including Andhra Pradesh," he said.
The SOPs will serve as a guiding document to streamline the adoption of drone technology, ensuring efficiency, safety, and sustainability in fish transportation, feed distribution, disease control and management, and underwater monitoring and surveillance, he added.