In the face of the locust plague that is making a comeback, India is also preparing to use agricultural plant protection drones. According to the print media "Economic Times" on May 23, the Indian Ministry of Agriculture requested permission to use drones against locusts. The Civil Aviation Authority of India announced that it would conditionally exempt it from using drones to spray pesticides or perform aerial surveillance.

According to reports, locusts have flooded into parts of India's Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, which pose a threat to crops on thousands of hectares of land. It is worth mentioning that in February, India announced that the locust plague was almost over.

A government official revealed that because the locust disaster threatened food security, the Indian Ministry of Agriculture wrote to the Indian Civil Aviation Authority requesting permission to use drones, requesting approval within 24 hours. The Civil Aviation Administration of India said: "In view of the urgency of this matter, the Indian government exercised the power conferred by Article 160 of the "Aviation Regulations" of 1937 to provide a "conditional exemption" to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

According to reports, this exemption applies to rotor drones weighing no more than 25 kg. The Department of Plant Conservation and Quarantine (DPPQS) under the Ministry of Agriculture of India will be allowed to use its own drones, while also allowing it to cooperate with third-party service companies to cover as many affected areas as possible. In order to avoid deployment delays, it only needs to report flight information and sprayed pesticides within 7 days, without prior approval.

An Indian government official said, "This is unprecedented for India, because this is the first time we allow drones to carry payloads for civilian use or spray pesticides." According to its introduction, India has also tested the use of plant protection drones before, but they are strictly restricted to specific areas. With this exemption, the Ministry of Agriculture can use drones anywhere.

The report also mentioned that not long ago, in order to combat the new crown epidemic, the Indian government also quickly approved the use of drones for air surveillance missions, even in densely populated urban areas.