On September 26-27, for the first time, the Plant Protection Department (PPD) - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with CropLife Vietnam Association and AgriDrone Vietnam Aviation Equipment Joint Stock Company, organized a training course on Spraying Pesticides Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV/Drone) for domestic pesticide testing staff.
Accordingly, more than 30 pesticide testing officers from 14 organizations qualified to conduct testing nationwide participated in a training course to update new regulations on pesticide testing using drones, provide basic knowledge on the operating principles of drones in agricultural cultivation, and guide the operation of drones to spray pesticides in practice. In addition to theoretical classes, field classes were held right in the rice fields of Thuy Lam commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi.
Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) Huynh Tan Dat awarded certificates to more than 30 pesticide testing officers for completing the training course on spraying pesticides using drones organized by the Plant Protection Department in coordination with the CropLife Vietnam Association.
The training program has the participation of training and technical support from AgriDrone Vietnam Aviation Equipment Joint Stock Company, management staff of the Plant Protection Department and technical experts from the CropLife Vietnam Association.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the training course, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hieu, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), emphasized: “The application of Drones is becoming increasingly popular in the agricultural sector, thanks to the advantages of the technology in terms of economic efficiency, environmental impact and, above all, protecting the health of farmers. The training course, jointly organized by the Department with CropLife Vietnam and AgriDrone, not only helps to enhance the understanding of technical staff on how to operate Drones effectively, but also reaffirms the importance of public-private partnership in sharing experiences and coordinating actions to pursue commitments on sustainable development and applying smart solutions in agriculture."
Mr. Mai Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AgriDrone Vietnam Aircraft Equipment Joint Stock Company, said that his company has participated in the agricultural aircraft market since 2018. In addition to providing drones to farmers in need, AgriDrone Vietnam also develops a drone pesticide spraying service team.
Students were instructed on the process of using drones and practiced right on the rice fields of Thuy Lam commune, Dong Anh, Hanoi.
"Currently, we have over 500 service teams, each team has 2-4 people, using 1-4 drones to provide pesticide spraying services according to farmers' needs. The area we receive for pesticide spraying services using drones is up to 300,000 - 500,000 hectares, mainly in the Mekong Delta, with a service fee of 120,000 - 150,000 VND/ha, while in the North, the service fee is about 500,000 - 700,000 VND/ha, because the cultivation area of people in the North is quite fragmented," Mr. Tuan informed.
According to Mr. Tuan, the demand for drones in agricultural cultivation is very large. What farmers need most right now is the formula of each type of medicine, how to use drones to achieve the highest efficiency.
The Plant Protection Department assessed that drone application is considered an effective solution to support farmers around the world to solve many problems in agriculture. This technological solution helps save input costs, reduce negative impacts from the farming process on human health and the environment, and at the same time improve the quality of agricultural products for consumption and export.
Compared to manual spraying (by backpack sprayer), drone spraying reduces water usage by more than 90%, reduces costs by about 50% while ensuring equivalent (or even higher) control effectiveness and spraying speed is 30 times faster. Operator safety and labor requirements are significantly improved.
Students practice using drones.
In early 2023, the Plant Protection Department announced the issuance of Basic Standard TCCS 830:2022/BVTV on "Field testing of plant protection drugs to prevent and control plant pests using drones". This is considered an important legal and technical basis for organizations conducting testing to develop processes and use drones for spraying, while also creating motivation to promote the widespread application of new spraying technologies in Vietnam. From there, the use of plant protection drugs is improved in efficiency, safety for farmers, increasing crop productivity and quality.
"This standard will help us evaluate the effectiveness of using drones in spraying pesticides, and at the same time demonstrate to farmers the economic and environmental effectiveness as well as the cost savings thanks to using drones, and unify the process of using each type of pesticide, for each type of crop when using drones nationwide," emphasized Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Director of the Plant Protection Department.
This training program is the next cooperation activity between the Plant Protection Department, CropLife Vietnam and partners to build a team of staff certified in spraying pesticides using drones, thereby disseminating this technology to farmers as well as creating a premise to perfect standard drone operating procedures in spraying pesticides in the future.
Drones are not only a technological step forward to optimize the efficiency of input materials and improve production efficiency, but also a solution to help farmers gradually switch to smarter and more sustainable farming habits and methods.
According to Mr. Dang Van Bao - Chairman of CropLife Vietnam: “Drones are not only a technological step forward to optimize the efficiency of input materials and improve production efficiency, but also a solution to help farmers gradually switch to smarter and more sustainable farming habits and methods - in line with the current orientation of promoting high-tech agriculture of the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Like all other agricultural tools and solutions, the use of drones must comply with current regulations on the use of pesticides as well as certain safety standards. With this training activity and future activities, CropLife Vietnam will continue to coordinate with the Plant Protection Department and partners to develop standard operating instructions and improve the registration process to promote the highest efficiency and benefits of this technology for farmers."
Director of Plant Protection Department Huynh Tan Dat presented certificates and congratulated the trainees on completing the first training course.
At the Certificate Award Ceremony for the trainees, Director of the Plant Protection Department Huynh Tan Dat stated that drone applications are becoming increasingly popular in the agricultural sector, thanks to their outstanding benefits in terms of economic efficiency, positive impact on the environment and, most importantly, protecting the health of farmers.
“Participating in this training course will not only improve the capacity of the officers conducting the testing, helping them to approach and understand drone technology better, but also equip them with the knowledge to become instructors for their colleagues in the future. Thereby, they will be able to use the flying device most effectively, contributing to improving agricultural productivity," Mr. Huynh Tan Dat emphasized and expected that the trainees of this training course will be lecturers who continue to guide local technical officers and farmers to use drones in agriculture safely and effectively.
Source: https://danviet.vn/30-can-bo-khao-nghiem-thuoc-hoc-lai-may-bay-nong-nghiep-ngay-tren-canh-dong-giua-thu-do-ha-noi-20240928103714349.htm
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