BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 13
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
One of the priorities of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture Jihad is to increase the use of new technologies and drones in agriculture sector, Director of the Iranian Agricultural Equipment Development Center Kambiz Abbasi told Trend.
According to Abbasi, Iran aims is to expand the use of agricultural drones in this regard.
"In Iran, agricultural drones are mainly used spray and seed operations on the fields, as well as, recording footage from the arable lands, and putting out small fires in forests and hard-to-reach areas," he added.
The director noted that at present, the drones are mainly used to spray pesticides, so more than 50 hectares of land are being covered a day. Drones are also used in areas under paddy cultivation, which is inaccessible to large technical vehicles.
Abbasi also pointed out that according to the laws in Iran, only specific drones (50 kg weight max) can be used in the agricultural sector, as well as maintaining the maximum flying altitude of 30 meters above the ground.
"There are currently 12 startup companies in the country engaging on the production of agricultural drones. A number of drones and related spare parts are imported. Some spare parts for drones, such as engines and batteries, are usually imported. The remaining spare parts are produced domestically," he said.
At present, there are 450-460 agricultural drones used in the agricultural sector of Iran. Taking into account the growing demand for the use of drones in Iran’s agricultural sector, it is planned to sell an average of 200-250 drones a year to farmers.
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