Being essential in agriculture, drone operation is not an amateur’s job. In a discussion with EFY’s Nitisha, Preet Sandhuu, Co-Founder of AVPL, discusses the impact of their drone learning courses on this challenge.
Q. What services and products does AVPL provide?
A. The company was founded in December 2016. At AVPL, we offer skill development training focusing on drone technology and agriculture besides manufacturing and selling drones. Right now, we are physically present across 12 states, with training centres in 70 locations, primarily semi-urban areas and rural areas.
Q. What is the purpose of this training program?
A. We aim to create one village-level drone entrepreneur and one agri-entrepreneur across India. We follow the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), providing level-wise training while incorporating entrepreneurship into the curriculum and looking beyond mere skill development. Our primary focus is to create job opportunities for candidates upon completing the training and encourage them to become grassroot micro-entrepreneurs.
Q. What types of drone courses do you offer?
A. One of our courses is the remote pilot certificate (RPC). In this five-day programme, students undergo training and receive a license valid for ten years, allowing them to fly drones anywhere in India (Green Zone). Additionally, we have developed a seven-day agriculture spray course. These agricultural drones used for spraying are significantly heavier, around 20 to 25kg, compared to the 2 to 3kg training drones. To address this, we have designed a comprehensive course where; after completing the RPC, students learn how to operate agricultural drones for spraying. These are the two key courses related to pilot training that we offer. Also, we are the first organisation to execute Kisan Drone Operator, the course affiliated with the Agriculture Skill Council of India and tied up with Australia’s Drone IT for dual certifications and drone cadets from the USA in drone training.
Q. How do your courses address drone industry skills and entrepreneurship?
A. New startups are emerging in the drone industry. A significant challenge within this ecosystem is identifying individuals skilled in drone assembly and maintenance. We offer drone assembly, technician, and maintenance engineer courses to address this. These courses are aligned with NSQF standards and are conducted at our training centres. We specifically select candidates who show a genuine interest in the drone industry, focusing on fostering micro-entrepreneurship. Similar to how many people opened mobile repair shops in the past, we foresee a future where individuals will establish drone repair shops, given the increasing use of drones across various industries.
Q. What are the requirements and structure of your five-day course?
A. We have four DGCA-approved bases, which are open for public viewing. The process is straightforward: it is a five-day course with two days dedicated to theory classes, one day for simulator training and two days to practical flying. Our toll-free number connects directly to our supportive team. For eligibility, candidates who have completed at least the 10th and 12th-grade education standards are qualified to enrol in our program.
Q. Are your courses conducted online or offline?
A. All these courses are conducted offline. According to the NSQF mandate, we cannot provide online training in the Kisan Drone Operator programme. However, for the RPC certificate, the theory class is conducted online over two days, while the remaining three days are offline and dedicated to practical flying classes.
Q. What qualifications are needed for micro-entrepreneurship and drone programs?
A. Primarily, the candidate should be 18 years old, and he should have passed 10th. For micro-entrepreneurship and village-level entrepreneurship, our target audience includes students from diploma programmes, ITI, or 10th and 12th-standard graduates. These individuals should have some understanding of what they are getting into. However, when it comes to junior drone engineers and preparing candidates for the research departments of drone companies, our target audience requires higher qualifications, such as those pursuing a B.Tech degree.
Q. Are your courses designed solely for agricultural use?
A. Our courses are designed for the entire industry, but the company’s vision focuses on agricultural drones. Our end users are farmers, as the drones are intended for their use. However, our primary audience consists of individuals who will become service agents to deliver these drone services to farmers. We train these individuals because, unlike me, they have direct connections with farmers and their families and are familiar with village life. They can effectively communicate with and convince farmers about the benefits of using drones, including increased productivity and improved soil and individual health.
Q. What are the costs and conditions for your drone training courses?
A. According to market standards, our drone pilot training course costs 35,000 INR plus GST for a five-day programme. The cost of other classes varies based on their duration. Our drone assembly and service technician courses are often run under government-subsidised programmes, so candidates are not charged for these. In case of paid courses, the starting fee is 35,000 INR plus GST. If a trainee purchases a drone from us, this fee is adjusted, and we provide the training at no additional charge. Therefore, when someone buys a drone, we ensure they are trained to operate it without extra cost. Also, we are assisting in the job search to the student after completing their training.
Q. How many candidates have you trained?
A. Since our inception, we have successfully trained 130,000 candidates. Our efforts have primarily focused on sponsored programs in collaboration with various ministries and state departments.
Q. What career opportunities and support do your drone pilot training graduates receive upon completing the program?
A. Over the last three months, I have observed individuals with just a 10th-grade education completing our five-day drone pilot training and securing jobs with salaries ranging from 20,000 to 25,000 INR per month, including accommodation and food. This is due to the rapidly evolving drone industry and the high demand for drone pilots. Students pay for the training, complete the five-day course, and then obtain jobs boasting a 100% placement rate. Additionally, some graduates pursue self-employment as micro-entrepreneurs. After completing the five-day training, they undergo an additional two to three days of agricultural spraying training to learn how to handle heavy drones. Following this, they can obtain financing from NBFCs to purchase a drone with our assistance. They then offer drone services to farmers, creating their business opportunities.
Q. What are the qualifications and assessment processes required by the DGCA to become a certified drone instructor?
A. According to DGCA regulations, candidates must be graduates, hold an RPC, and be RPI-certified. The DGCA, as the regulatory body, conducts rigorous viva and assessments for candidates aspiring to become instructors. This is a challenging examination process. Only those qualified by the DGCA can become instructors and must have a certain amount of flying experience. We are hiring instructors and planning to develop our in-house ecosystem to create a pool of trainers, although this is still in the planning stages.
Q. What is involved in generating RPC certificates?
A. For RPC certification, we train candidates and upload the necessary data, like their training assessment forms, skill training certificates, flying assessment forms, to generate the certificates. This involves a structured process. Our responsibilities include mobilising the candidates and providing the training while the regulatory body oversees the certification process. It operates similarly to running a school, where everything must be for regulatory inspections.
Q. What is the process for obtaining a pilot certificate through your training program?
A. Students must complete a set number of flying hours in the curriculum. Once these hours are completed, the details are submitted to Bharat Kosh, a portal where we generate a challan to issue a pilot certificate to the student. Additionally, we submit these details to the DGCA website. On the DGCA platform, you can see numerous remote pilot certificates generated online and offline.
Q. What qualifications do you look for when hiring faculty for drone training?
A. We employ individuals who are graduates and have a minimum of 50 hours of instructional experience, particularly those with a background in agriculture. Candidates who have agricultural knowledge including spraying techniques, pest control, and soil fertility are preferred. This expertise is advantageous for our company as they can effectively train others on the correct usage of pesticides, chemical handling, and application methods. Graduates with a farming background who meet the RPC and RPA requirements as per DGCA norms are ideal for our training and operational needs. We have around 20 instructors who work in rotational shifts. This allows us to allocate them efficiently according to our needs.
Q. How do you manufacture drones and source components?
A. Our assembly line is located in Gurgaon Sector 10, where we manufacture and assemble drones. Some components are produced in-house, while others are sourced from suppliers. Despite handling most of the drone manufacturing in-house, we cannot produce some parts like firmware, landing gears, motors, ourselves, so we rely on a pool of supplier for these. It is also not feasible to produce everything internally. This is how our drone assembly line operates. We also use 3D printing to create parts in-house and source components like propellers from Indian suppliers and not other countries. We adhere to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, as 80% of our parts are domestically sourced.
Q. What makes your drone unique and highly efficient?
A. We have developed a unique drone called Viraj with two distinct payloads; a spray system and a seed spreader. This allows users to not only spray fields but also to spread seeds efficiently. Additionally, we offer a drone with night vision capabilities, enabling spraying operations to be conducted even in the dark. These stand out due to their exceptional stability and impressive flight duration. Each drone can operate for a minimum of 16 to 17 minutes on a single battery charge, covering an area of approximately two to two and a half acres within that time frame. Also, Viraj is capable of flying 500 hours without any major maintenance, and this feature makes it the lowest maintenance and cost-effective for the end users.
Q. How do you distribute your drones to farmers?
A. We train students to become service agents and provide drones to FPOs, who then contact farmers. While farmers also approach us directly, we primarily sell through FPOs to reach them.
Q. When will you start selling drones to other industries?
A. Starting next month, as we announce our IPO, we will maintain an inventory of 250 drones. We have not yet sold drones because we are awaiting type certification from the DGCA. Despite assembling them, we needed the stage 3 certification, which we received recently. We expect to obtain the final certification soon, after which the sale will begin.
Q. How do you distribute drones to your candidates?
A. Our contracts mandate that we provide drones to the candidates we train. Our work orders outline this, specifying who will receive the drones. Therefore, we do not need distributors and suppliers to sell our drones. Essentially, we sell drones to those undergoing our training programs. In addition to the training, they will receive drones, which they must pay for. We also offer financing facilities for this purpose. We may work on this model in future if our business framework meets the requirements of dealers and distributors.
Q. What kind of financing facilities?
A. We have onboarded numerous banks and NBFCs and are discussing drone financing with NABARD. This collaboration includes many financial institutions working with us.
Q. What is the drone’s price range?
A. The cost ranges from INR 800,000 to 1 million, depending on the number of accessories, batteries, and additional propeller sets required.
Q. What are your primary sources of revenue?
A. Our revenue streams include training programmes, drone sales, and participation in various government-subsidised programmes. These are the primary sources of our income.
Q. What is your revenue expectation for next year?
A. We closed our books this year with a revenue of 440 millions. We expect to exceed 4 billions as we begin selling our drones next year. We are also developing a high-capacity drone specifically for the international markets of Australia and Brazil. We have already established connections with distributors in these countries. However, this new drone model will require another six months to receive certification from the DGCA.
Q. How does your company approach funding?
A. We are a bootstrapped company and have never raised VC or Series A funding. This is because we actively incorporate new technologies and techniques and promote digitisation besides maintaining a traditional belief that a business should be profitable. Profitability is what drives us to continue running the business.
Q. Please share your future plans.
A. We have partnered with the UP government to run 20 colleges in PPP mode, including 17 ITI and three polytechnic colleges. The government provides the buildings and handles all plumbing and electrical work. We will manage these colleges, making drones a mandatory subject at each institution. This initiative will positively impact our revenues in the coming years. We will hire local faculty to manage the operations, and the program is set to start in August.
