Agricultural Drone Spraying Service Business
कृषि ड्रोन स्प्रे सेवा व्यवसाय · कृषी ड्रोन फवारणी सेवा व्यवसाय
Spray pesticides and liquid fertiliser on farmers' fields with an agricultural drone, charging per acre, with a trained and certified pilot.
Investment
₹11.2 lakh
Profit a month*
₹30,000
- Space
- 100 sq ft
- Staff
- 1 + you
*Operating profit before the loan instalment in year 2, at the assumed sales level. Change the assumptions in the calculator below.
A drone spraying service takes an agricultural drone to farmers' fields and sprays crop-protection chemicals or liquid fertiliser for a fee per acre. A drone covers an acre in minutes, uses far less water than a hand sprayer and keeps the operator away from the chemical. The business needs a certified agricultural drone with spare batteries, a certified remote pilot, a helper and a vehicle to reach fields. It suits a rural youth, farmer group or custom-hiring centre in an area with large sprayed crops such as paddy, cotton, sugarcane, soybean or orchards. Income depends on acres sprayed, and spraying happens only in short windows of each crop season. The hard parts are that seasonality, the drone's high cost, crashes and battery wear, weather, and flight and pesticide rules.
Skills needed: A DGCA remote pilot certificate from an approved training organisation, crop and pesticide knowledge, and basic drone maintenance.
Profit calculator
Change the numbers to match your town5 acre/day: Spraying service (per acre)
Total investment
₹11.2 lakh
Your own money
₹1.12 lakh
Subsidy
—
Bank loan
₹10.1 lakh
Mudra Tarun Plus
A typical month in year 2
| Sales | ₹62,500 |
| Raw material & packing | −₹7,500 |
| Electricity | −₹950 |
| Salaries | −₹10,500 |
| Rent | ₹0 |
| Other running costs | −₹13,125 |
| Operating profit | ₹30,425 |
| Loan instalment (EMI) | −₹23,546 |
| You keep each month | ₹6,879 |
After the loan is repaid, the EMI becomes your income too. Your own salary is not counted as a cost: the profit is your income.
- Loans above ₹10 lakh under Mudra (Tarun Plus) are only for borrowers who have repaid an earlier Tarun loan.
- Cash goes negative in some year: lower drawings, extend the tenure, raise own money, or take working capital as a separate cash-credit limit.
- Year 1 shows a loss at the assumed utilisation. Banks look closely at year-1 viability.
Need this for a bank loan?
Turn these numbers into a full project report: cost of project, means of finance, 5-year profit and loss, balance sheet, repayment schedule, DSCR and break-even.
Make my project reportInvestment breakdown
| Machinery & equipment | Price |
|---|---|
| Agricultural spraying drone, 10-litre class, with batteries and chargerMust be a type-certified model. Price is an estimate: the women's self-help group scheme funds 80% of the package up to ₹8 lakh | ₹8,00,000 |
| Extra battery sets × 2 | ₹1,20,000 |
| Portable generator for field charging | ₹40,000 |
| Mixing tank, protective gear, tools and spares | ₹25,000 |
| Used pickup or three-wheeler to carry the droneadd-on | ₹2,50,000 |
| Machinery & equipment (without add-ons) | ₹9,85,000 |
| Remote pilot training and certificate | ₹50,000 |
| Drone registration, insurance for the first year and other registrations | ₹40,000 |
| Demonstrations for farmers and local advertising | ₹15,000 |
| Working capital 0 days of raw material, 7 days of credit to buyers, 1 month of expenses | ₹32,060 |
| Total project cost | ₹11,22,060 |
Typical market prices as of October 2026, from supplier listings. Prices vary by brand, capacity and city; always get 2–3 quotes.
Cost and margin per unit
| Spraying service (per acre) (per acre) | ₹ |
|---|---|
| Battery charging, generator fuel and travel to fields | 40.00 |
| Battery and nozzle wear set aside per acre | 20.00 |
| Material cost | 60.00 |
| Selling price | 500.00 |
| Margin before running costs | 440.00 (88%) |
Published guides put private operators at about ₹400–600 an acre for pesticide and ₹500–700 for fertiliser, with an all-India average near ₹520; the farmer supplies the chemical. Capacity follows a guide's working figure of 20 acres a day. Per-acre running costs are estimates.
Space, power and staff
100 sq ft
At home · rent ≈ ₹0/month
A secure, dry room at home for the drone, batteries and charger.
2 kW, single-phase
Bill ≈ ₹2,000/month at full capacity
1 staff + you
- 1 × Field helper: ₹10,000
Licences and registrations
Remote pilot certificate
mandatoryWhen: Before flying commercially · Cost: Training of about ₹25,000–75,000 at an approved organisation, as quoted in one guide
Issued under the Drone Rules after training at a DGCA-approved remote pilot training organisation. Confirm the current category and fee on the Digital Sky platform.
Drone registration and type certificate
mandatoryWhen: At purchase · Cost: Small registration fee
Buy only a type-certified agricultural drone and register it on the Digital Sky platform to get its identification number.
Airspace permissions
mandatoryWhen: Every flight · Cost: None in green zones
Check the airspace map; flights near airports, borders and other restricted areas need permission or are not allowed.
Pesticide rules for drone spraying
mandatoryWhen: Every job · Cost: None
Use only pesticides approved for drone application at the approved dose, and follow the agriculture ministry's operating procedure for drone spraying, including wind limits, buffer distances and protective gear.
Third-party insurance
mandatoryWhen: Before flying · Cost: Annual premium
Scheme support
if applicableWhen: Before buying · Cost: Free to apply
Central schemes have funded drones for women's self-help groups and custom-hiring centres, but their periods end and reopen. Check what is open now with the district agriculture office.
How it works
- Book fields by village so several farmers are sprayed in one trip.
- Check the airspace map, weather and wind; inspect the drone and batteries.
- Mark the field boundary and obstacles; mix the chemical the farmer supplies at the approved dose.
- Fly the spraying pattern; swap batteries and refill between flights.
- Rinse the tank and nozzles; record acres, chemical and payment.
- Charge and store batteries correctly at the end of the day.
Loan route
Mudra loan (Tarun Plus)
Own money ₹1.12 lakh · Loan ₹10.1 lakh · EMI ≈ ₹23,546
No collateral, no subsidy. Only if you have taken and fully repaid an earlier Tarun loan.
How Mudra worksPMEGP (new units)
Subsidy ₹1.68 lakh (general, urban) to ₹3.93 lakh (special category, rural). EMI ≈ ₹19,622–₹15,697.
Own money 5–10%. Applicant must be at least 8th pass for this project size. Subsidy is held as a 3-year deposit, then adjusted against the loan.
How PMEGP worksAssumes 10.5% interest, 5 years including a 6-month moratorium. PMEGP was approved up to FY 2025-26. Check on the KVIC PMEGP portal that applications are open before you plan around the subsidy.
No collateral and no third-party guarantee (covered by the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units).
Who buys and how to sell
Buyers
- Farmers with paddy, cotton, soybean, sugarcane or wheat
- Orchard and plantation owners
- Farmer producer organisations and cooperatives
- Fertiliser and pesticide companies running farmer programmes
- Sugar factories and contract-farming firms
Ways to sell
- Field demonstrations in villages
- Bookings through input dealers and farmer groups
- Tie-ups with fertiliser companies and sugar factories
- WhatsApp groups of farmers by village
Season: Very seasonal. Work comes in spraying windows of the kharif and rabi crops and is close to nil between them. Orchards and sugarcane spread the season in some areas.
Competition: Hand and tractor sprayers on price, other drone operators and subsidised group-owned drones. Timely arrival in the spray window and even coverage win repeat bookings.
Risks and how to handle them
Too few spraying days in a year to repay the drone
Tie up with farmer groups and companies before buying, cover several crops and villages, and add mapping or seeding work.
Crash damages an expensive drone
Survey every field for wires and trees, do not fly in wind, insure the drone and keep spare propellers and arms.
Batteries wear out quickly
Follow charging and storage instructions, rotate battery sets and budget for replacement.
Crop damage or drift onto a neighbour's field
Use approved chemicals and doses, respect wind limits and buffer distances, and record every job.
Flying without the right certificate or in restricted airspace
Keep the certificate, registration and insurance current and check the airspace map before each job.
Tips from the trade
- Count the sprayed acreage within 15 km before buying; the drone must fly most days of each season.
- Group bookings by village save more time than anything else.
- Selling the service through a pesticide dealer gives a ready list of farmers.
Questions people ask
How much does drone spraying cost a farmer?+
Published guides put private operators at about ₹400–700 an acre, depending on the crop and state, with the farmer supplying the chemical.
Can anyone fly a spraying drone?+
No. Commercial spraying needs a remote pilot certificate, a registered type-certified drone, insurance and compliance with the airspace and pesticide rules.
How much investment is needed to start a agricultural drone spraying service business?+
About ₹11.2 lakh for a small unit: ₹9.85 lakh for machinery and equipment, ₹1.05 lakh for set-up costs and ₹32,060 as working capital (stock, credit to buyers and one month of expenses). Prices as of October 2026.
How much profit can a agricultural drone spraying service business make per month?+
At 25% of capacity, sales are about ₹62,500 a month and operating profit about ₹30,425 before the loan instalment. After an EMI of about ₹23,546, the owner keeps about ₹6,879 a month until the loan is repaid. These are estimates; your prices, rent and sales decide the real figure.
Which machines are needed for agricultural drone spraying service?+
Agricultural spraying drone, 10-litre class, with batteries and charger (about ₹8 lakh); Portable generator for field charging (about ₹40,000).
Can I get a Mudra loan or PMEGP subsidy for agricultural drone spraying service?+
With a project cost of about ₹11.2 lakh, the bank loan of about ₹10.1 lakh falls under Mudra Tarun Plus. Mudra has no subsidy. As a new unit you may instead apply under PMEGP, where the subsidy is 15–35% of the project cost (up to about ₹3.93 lakh here for a special-category applicant in a rural area). PMEGP was approved up to FY 2025-26. Check on the KVIC PMEGP portal that applications are open before you plan around the subsidy.
What licences are required for agricultural drone spraying service?+
Mandatory: Remote pilot certificate, Drone registration and type certificate, Airspace permissions, Pesticide rules for drone spraying, Third-party insurance. Depending on your set-up you may also need: Scheme support.
Similar businesses
Solar Panel Installation Business
सोलर पैनल इंस्टॉलेशन व्यवसाय · सोलर पॅनल इन्स्टॉलेशन व्यवसाय
Design, supply and install rooftop solar systems for homes, shops and small factories, and handle the net-meter and subsidy paperwork.
Investment
₹9.2 lakh
Profit*
₹37,000/mo
Space
300 sq ft
Pest Control Service Business
पेस्ट कंट्रोल सर्विस व्यवसाय · पेस्ट कंट्रोल सर्व्हिस व्यवसाय
Treat homes, shops, restaurants and offices for cockroaches, termites, bed bugs, rodents and mosquitoes, on one-time jobs and yearly contracts.
Investment
₹2.3 lakh
Profit*
₹29,000/mo
Space
150 sq ft
Dairy Farming Business (10 Cows)
डेयरी फार्मिंग व्यवसाय · दुग्ध व्यवसाय (डेअरी फार्म)
Keep ten crossbred or improved indigenous cows in a proper shed and sell milk daily to a dairy collection centre or directly to households.
Investment
₹12.6 lakh
Profit*
₹30,000/mo
Space
1,500 sq ft
Sources
- AgriFarming: drone spraying cost per acre in India
- Zbotic: agricultural drone ROI for Indian farmers 2026
- BioVoice: operational guidelines of the Namo Drone Didi scheme
- Indian Chemical News: drones distributed under the Namo Drone Didi scheme
Prices as of October 2026. Prices here come from online listings and published guides and have not yet been confirmed with local suppliers. Profit figures are estimates from the assumptions above, not a promise of income.
Spotted an outdated price? Tell us. Data for this page: HowIndiaEarns.