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Remote-controlled vehicles may not be just child's play any more.
Paying heed to the call for innovation in the domestic farm sector, tractor and farm implement maker, Sonalika Group, has come up with a new tractor model that can be controlled via remote.
For use in the fields on days of rough weather such as extreme heat, cold or rains, this model is expected to be in the market in the next six months. It will be manufactured by the Group's flagship company, International Tractors Ltd (ITL), which claims to be one of the top three tractor manufacturers in the country.
“We're designing a tractor which will run on remote control. The idea is that the farmer does not have to toil under the sun for hours while irrigating his field. It will save him time and energy and be better for his health. The development is in the advanced stages and we expect to launch it in the next six months,” Mr L.D. Mittal, Chairman, Sonalika Group, told Business Line .
He added that the plan is that the farmer can sit under the shade at a distance and control the tractor through a separate device or his mobile phone. The concept also hopes to leverage India's fast growing mobile telephony network in the rural areas.
ITL, which currently makes tractors in 30-90 HP range, is also working on more models which promise improved fuel efficiency and higher power output.
It also hopes exports to grow 60 per cent in 2011-12. Exports in the previous fiscal touched 6,000 units, a growth of 35 per cent.
“We're expanding globally. We're setting up assembly units in Turkey and Nigeria and will add new markets such as Romania and a few African countries,” Mr Mittal said.
With the group's revenues touching Rs 4,000 crore last fiscal, the company expects 40 per cent growth this year.
It is also investing Rs 200 crore overall on fresh capacity and products, half of which has been allocated for its domestic operations.
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