Agricultural drones can make our farming safe and precise. The prime role these drones will play is in the application of fertilizer, pesticides and nutrients including the liquid and foliar ones. Such applications are not only precise but also efficient. Our farmers will be saved from health hazards caused by manual application of chemical inputs. Targeted spray done by the drones will also save money as lesser inputs will be used. Moreover, crops with higher heights like sugarcane are difficult to reach manually. As there are no other aerial application method available, agricultural drones are the suitable options here. Many countries have already begun commercial and diversified use of drones in the field of agriculture especially in Big Data. These drones can now collect data using sensors, GPS and other methods which can be used for research and farm management optimization. These makes farming more safe and precise.
For the first time in Bangladesh, ACI Motors brought the Agricultural Spraying Drone with 30L tank, 9m spraying width and coverage rate of up to 40 acres/hour. ACI Motors has plans to conduct field testing on different crops like maize, rice and also in different fruit orchard like Mango. These drones have the capability of automatic spraying of any liquid pesticides, fertilizers, plant growth regulators after mapping of the targeted area.
The use of drones in agriculture is increasing worldwide. It will expand in our country as well. While the drones permitted to fly and operate in Bangladesh are primarily regulated by ‘Drone Registration and Flying Act 2020’, we need separate protocol and other policy support for the spread and frequent use of agricultural drones in our country.
Dr. F H Ansarey
President
ACI Agribusinesses Division
