A first in Kerala: Munnar tea company uses drones to move harvested leaves
Harrisons Malayalam Limited has successfully trialed the use of drones to transport harvested tea leaves at the Lockhart Estate in Munnar. This technological shift aims to reduce fuel costs, mitigate labor shortages, and improve logistics efficiency in the plantation sector.
Why it matters
The adoption of drone technology in traditional agriculture represents a significant modernization effort to combat rising operational costs and labor challenges.
In a significant technological step forward for the plantation sector, and in a first, a tea company has begun using drone-based transport to move freshly harvested green leaves from tea fields to weighment centres and processing factories in Kerala’s Idukki.
According to company officials, trials for the drone transportation system were successfully conducted at the Lockhart Estate, operated by Harrisons Malayalam Limited (HML) near Devikulam in Munnar. Established during the British era, Lockhart is one of the region’s oldest tea plantations.
HML vice-president Anil George confirmed the successful trial of the payload drones. “For the trial phase, we used bags weighing 12 kilograms, which was a big success. Following these positive results, we plan to deploy drones with a carrying capacity of 40 to 50 kilograms. The drones can carry the load five to 10 kilometres,” Mr. George said.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in