Agricultural drone market size is set to grow 20.1% CAGR to 2032

The agricultural drone market size was reached USD 7.9 billion in 2022 and is set to witness 20.1% CAGR from 2024 to 2032, led by a continuous rise in precision farming practices.

The influx of subsidies, grants, and regulatory frameworks facilitating the use of agricultural drones is contributing to increased affordability for farmers. With several governments promoting awareness campaigns, training programs, and collaborative research for fostering a conducive environment for the integration of drones in farming practices, the industry is set to witness steady growth. To cite an instance, the Indian Government through its Drone Didi Yojana, seeks to offer drones to 15,000 selected women Self Help Groups between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 to facilitate rental services to farmers for agricultural purposes.

The agriculture drone industry is segmented into product, application, and region.

Increasing adoption

Based on product, the market share from the software segment generated substantial revenue in 2022 and is expected to gain significant traction to 2032. Advanced agricultural drone software helps to enhance data analytics for allowing farmers to derive actionable insights for precision farming for offering features, such as crop monitoring, yield prediction, and field mapping. Additionally, the integration with ML algorithms will further contribute to the increasing adoption of agricultural drone software solutions for optimizing the agricultural practices.

In terms of application, the agricultural drone industry from the crop scouting segment is anticipated to witness high demand through 2032. Agricultural drones are essential in crop scouting as they provide farmers with aerial insights into crop health for identifying diseases and pest infestations alongside monitoring the overall crop conditions. The growing awareness about the benefits of the efficiency and precision offered by drones in crop scouting is also likely to surge the product demand.

Robust growth

Regionally, the Asia Pacific agricultural drone industry is set to exhibit robust growth between 2023 and 2032 owing to the increasing adoption of precision agriculture practices due to the rising need for enhanced crop yield. The growing government initiatives for supporting several technologies in agriculture and the favorable regulatory frameworks have led to a surge in the number of investments. Moreover, the increasing adoption of modern farming techniques by farmers across the region is providing potential growth opportunities to several market players, boosting the industry growth. For instance, in November 2023, DJI, a Chinese drone manufacturer, launched two new drone models for uses in a variety of applications to help with agricultural productivity.