Last Updated:
The young garmer in Gujarat installed a GPS system in his tractor with preset sowing routes. This automation makes 50% of the work driverless while ensuring precise, straight-line sowing
Rahul’s tractor is equipped with two GPS systems and an automatic steering mechanism, costing around Rs 4 lakh. (Local18)
You may have seen the Bollywood movie Tarzan: The Wonder Car, where a car drives itself many times to take revenge on its enemies. Similar scenes, barring the revenge plot, can be witnessed in the fields of Gujarat’s Amreli district with a farmer is using a driverless tractor to plough fields, saving both time and fuel.
Farming has long been considered labour-intensive, but modern technology has simplified some of the processes. Many farmers now use tractors for sowing, but Rahul Ahir, a 31-year-old farmer from Amreli, has taken this one step further. He installed a GPS system in his tractor with pre-set sowing routes. This automation makes 50% of the work driverless while ensuring precise, straight-line sowing.
Use of German Technology In Tractors
While farming has become easier with modern tools, tasks such as sowing and intercropping remain challenging. Incorrect sowing patterns can result in up to an 8% crop loss. Traditionally, a driver must simultaneously operate the tractor’s steering and hydraulic system while ensuring straight-line sowing. This process is time-consuming and labour-intensive.
Rahul, looking for an alternative, discovered GPS technology for tractors. This system automates half of the work, ensuring precise sowing while reducing labour effort. He successfully cultivates his 40-bigha land using modern equipment, including GPS-enabled tractors.
How Automation System Works In Fields?
According to Akash Prajapati, an engineer at a mobile automation company in Gandhinagar, this is a GPS-based system that allows farmers to pre-set sowing patterns within a 30-grid system on a monitor.
Special equipment is installed on the tractor, which then automatically maintains the sowing line. The system operates and controls the tractor’s steering, requiring the driver only to turn the tractor at the edges of the field.
Prajapati also stated that farmers manually control the tractor’s steering while sowing and intercropping, a task that is both difficult and time-consuming. With the GPS system, the process becomes much more efficient, saving time and reducing diesel consumption. This technology is proving to be highly beneficial for farmers, minimising physical and mental fatigue while increasing productivity.
How Much Does It Cost?
The young farmer further explained that during peak sowing and harvesting seasons, skilled drivers are often unavailable, and when they are, they charge between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per day. With this modern system, farmers no longer need to rely on expensive labour as anyone capable of driving a tractor can now handle sowing effortlessly.
Rahul’s tractor is equipped with two GPS systems and an automatic steering mechanism, costing around Rs 4 lakh. As a result, tasks that typically take 12 hours can now be completed in 8 hours using this advanced German technology.
- Location :
Amreli, India, India
