Srinagar, Feb 25: Marking a significant achievement, two young women innovators from Kashmir, Simran Altaf and Syed Fakiha, have developed a prototype drone for real-time soil testing. They said that the device accurately determines the amount of fertilizers and other inputs the soil needs, reducing labour costs and improving productivity.
The innovators showcased their work at the GONGUL 10th Agritech Mela at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) Srinagar.
Simran Altaf, a B.Tech graduate in Electronics and Communication from Kashmir University, is one of the developers of the soil-testing drone. She said, “My batchmate Syed Fakiha and I worked together on this project from the beginning.”
“We have our own lab, and it took us about six months to develop the prototype,” they said.
“The name of our startup is CropCopter Innovations Pvt. Ltd. Our innovation focuses on soil testing through a smart IoT-based soil analyzer. We have deployed a sensor pod in our drone, which is equipped with all the necessary sensors. It tests the soil in real time,” she said.
Simran further said that their initial model, a standalone sensor pod, was not functional, which led them to integrate it into a drone.
She said that when the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited SKUAST during the event he gave them positive feedback on their innovation, praising it as a valuable concept.
“We faced hurdles in developing the prototype and transforming it into a drone. Initially, our project focused on a standalone sensor pod, which we developed independently. Later, we converted it into a drone with some assistance from the incubator at SKUAST-K, where we received a grant. However, the pod itself was developed entirely on our own,” she added.
Simran encouraged aspiring innovators to come forward with their ideas, emphasising that there is now more awareness about innovation. “I urge the government to support us so we can bring more technologies to the forefront,” she said.
“The cost of developing the prototype has already reached Rs 5 lakh. However, we are still working on it, testing its capabilities, and determining what improvements can be made. The cost may be reduced, and the final version will be ready for testing in a few months,” she said.
“For soil testing, multiple samples need to be collected, making the process expensive. Our drone will reduce costs, including labour expenses. It will also ensure that fertilizers are applied in the right quantity, improving productivity. With the global population increasing, demand for efficient agricultural solutions is also rising. I believe this is one of the best ideas to address this challenge,” she added.
