Accra, April 17, GNA-Mr Jonas Owusu Yeboah, the Chief Executive Officer of Hadad Drones Technologies (HDT),
has encouraged agriculture tertiary institutions to integrate the study of drone and its application in their curriculum.
He said the acquisition of that knowledge and expertise would empower the graduates to assist farmers to be efficient and increase yield.
Mr Yeboah, speaking at a seminar for students at the Department of Agriculture Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana, said the potential of drone usage was yet to be explored to improve agriculture sector and that the time was now.
The seminar was initiated by the Institutional Framework to Enhance the Agri-Innovation Ecosystem within the University of Ghana (IFEA-Eco) project.
“Drones are providing services to many leading industries. It is being used to save lives and inspiring the next generation of scientists and technologists,” he noted.
He said the main objective of his Company was to help create awareness and demonstrate the relevance of drones to transforming the local economy, adding that, “flying a drone is not for everybody. It is a profession”.
Mr Yeboah said the use of drone supported crop intensification, precision, plant health monitoring and effective farm management, leading to increase yields.
He said: “Ordinarily, farmers monitor their field physically, which is time consuming with difficulties in detecting any challenge. Drones come in handy to identify the potential problems. It is the best for large-scale farming operations. ”
Professor Irene Egyir, the Dean, School of Agriculture at the University of Ghana, and Principal Investigator for the Project, said drones could help farmers identify areas of their fields that required more attention, allowing them to focus their resources where they were needed most.
“In that case, the farmer can specifically apply fertilizer to that area rather than apply it across the entire field. This can result in cost savings on inputs and increased yields,” she said.
Professor Egyir said drones could be used to treat infected plants much safer and more efficient than manual labour and using land-based machinery.
“Smart drones also come with autonomous flight modes, this will allow farmers to plan flight paths only around areas that need to be treated,” she added.
Professor Egyir said agri-business was a chain that demanded technology, hence the introduction of agriculture students to drone applications would enhance productivity and impact positively on the chain.
GNA