Pesticide spraying drones to increase Turkish farmers’ income

A drone developed to spray pesticide on agricultural fields was introduced during the 13th Mesopotamia Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Fair.

The fair began on March 15 and will run through March 19, 2022 in Diyarbakir, in southeastern Türkiye. The expo brought together farmers with technological innovations and opportunities for the agriculture industry.

One of the most noteworthy items in the fair is a drone that was built for spraying agricultural pesticides. Visitors showed a lot of interest in the booth showcasing the drone and received information on it.

‘Great value for both Türkiye and the farmer’

The general manager of the company that distributes the drone, Ugur Turk, tells Anadolu Agency that they have been researching the best technological products to offer Turkish farmers. Turk added that they import drones as well as unmanned ground vehicles that are used for pesticide distribution on fields.

Turk says that the smart devices are “farmer-friendly” and mentions the benefits of using drones for spraying pesticides:

“Turkish farmers use pesticides in a traditional manner. They use 800 litres of water for 10 decares. With the drone we can reduce this amount to as low as 16 litres. They also save up to 30 to 50 percent in pesticide use. That means a significant amount of savings for the economy of Türkiye as well as the farmer.”

Turk goes on to compare standard spraying versus drone spraying: “In standard spraying, 40 percent of the watered-down pesticide is reabsorbed by the earth, which causes desertification. With the drone we can avoid that. The drone also prevents the four to eight percent crop loss due to tractor marks left on the field.”

Turk says that unmanned vehicles are advantageous in that they can be used as a timely intervention in fields that are irrigated and prone to disease. He says that there are already pesticide drones in use in Türkiye.

“[In] the future we will primarily see these [drones] in agricultural settings. Drones will be beneficial to the economy thanks to its savings in water and pesticide. There was a demand from farmers who wanted to buy agricultural drones so we ordered 30 units,” Turk says.

Unmanned ground vehicles to the rescue in greenhouses

Turk also mentions the unmanned ground vehicles they have introduced to the Turkish market: 

“Greenhouses are closed locations that are hard to apply pesticide to, You can’t use drones in greenhouses so we do it with unmanned ground vehicles. One vehicle can apply pesticide to approximately 200 decares with two batteries lasting four hours.”

Sedat Yasar, a farmer hailing from Bismil township says he produces cotton and wheat in his 1000 decare field. Yasar points out the importance of technology in agricultural production and that he follows new developments closely.

 “I was intrigued by the drones used in spraying pesticide. When you apply pesticide with tractors water and fuel use increases expenses,” Yasar said.

Ibrahim Alphan from the Sur township says he has walked around the fair and was very impressed by the drones. 

“Drones help save pesticide use. I use about 150,000 TL (approx $10,000) worth of pesticides a year. With the drone, I would be able to lower costs to 50-60,000 TL (approx $3,400-4,075), which would be a great financial gain.”