Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday announced that Pakistan has prepared drones for the agriculture sector. The drones will be used in the fight against locusts.
In a post on the social-networking website Twitter, the minister said that the drones can spray 16-liter pesticide in 18 minutes and can also identify the affected areas of the crops.
یہ دونوں زرعی ڈرونز #MadeInPakistan ہیں،16لیٹر(pesticide)18منٹ تک اسپرے کرنےکی صلاحیت رکھتے ہیں،پہلے پورا کھیت اسپرے کیا جاتا ہے اب سنسرز بتاتے ہیں کہ فصل کےکس حصے کو بیماری ہےاور صرف اس حصے پر اسپرے ہوتی ہے،کھیت کی مکمل مانیٹرنگ کی صلاحیت سےلیس ڈرونز زراعت میں نیا انقلاب ہوں گے pic.twitter.com/hXtA2pyPQB
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) July 14, 2020
A drone equipped with the latest technology is the new revolution in the agriculture sector, he added.
Earlier in March, that the Chinese government had decided to send drones urgently to Pakistan. The first batch of drones reached Pakistan on March 9.
Read more: Locusts being fed to chickens in Pakistan: a creative solution
The use of fixed and rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commonly called drones, are potential means of improving desert locust monitoring, early warning and rapid control, and reducing costs of survey and control operations.
The Chinese authorities would also send technical staff to carry out operation and train staff of the Plant Protection Department and concerned provincial departments, he said.
In addition to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan has also been under attack from a locust invasion. These insects attack and destroy crops in hordes of billions; they are a severe threat to the rural economy in Pakistan. They also pose a food security threat as they reduce the output of farms.
Read more: Pakistan uses drones to fight off locust-led crisis
Neighbouring countries like Iran, India and Yemen also face a similar locust invasion.