After transforming the lives of farmers in India using their drone technology, a sister and her brother from Kerala will now be winning the hearts of the farmers in Uzbekistan. Fuselage Innovations, a startup founded by Devika and Devan Chandrasekharan of Cherthala in Alappuzha, has come out on top in the AgriTech4 Innovation Challenge held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the duo will now collaborate with the Government of Uzbekistan to offer their drone technology support to the farmers in Uzbekistan.
“We are really happy that our drone technology in farming has been selected by a panel of experts in the Innovation Challenge. We were able to gain the confidence of the panelists while competing with other startups from different countries. It’s a significant recognition of our efforts,” Devan Chandrasekharan told “Open Digest.”
Devika and Devan launched their startup, Fuselage Innovations, in 2020 at Maker Village, Kalamassery, under the Kerala Startup Mission with a mission to boost farm yield using drones. It was after completing their engineering graduation that the brother and the sister set out to launch a tech startup that could help farmers.
They introduced two drones—Niriksh and Fiya—after conducting research and development on how drones could be used to identify pest problems and apply fertilisers in crops planted in large tracts of farmland. While the drone Niriksh, equipped with sensors, analyses pest attacks and nutrient deficiencies at an early stage in crops, the drone Fiya applies pesticides and fertilisers to the specific plants identified by Niriksh.
For the last three years, Fuselage Innovations has worked with over 4,000 farmers in Kerala, and their drones have helped the farmers increase their yield by 35 per cent. “Our drones help the farmers reduce the usage of fertilisers, cutting down the cost,” Devan said.
The startup charges Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per acre for their drone service while they also manufacture and sell their drones to large-scale farmers.
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