Drone system to aid farming activities in South Tongu launched

Agripower, manufacturer of modular agriculture farm implements and silicon fertilizers has launched a drone system in Sogakofe in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region to minimize farmers exposure to chemicals and also help in sowing and fertilizer application.

The drone system, which is an initiative of Agripower, would eliminate farmer’s exposure to harmful inorganic chemicals in their farming activities.

Mr. Samuel Seidu, the Managing Director of Agripower, launching the product said, realizing how farmer’s lives were endangered by coming in contact with inorganic chemicals, necessitated the introduction of the drones to reduce inhalation and touching of the chemicals during spraying by the farmers.

He said the drones were more effective because a 15-litre drone could spray a hundred-acre farm in one hour without the farmer coming into contact with the chemical used in spraying.

Mr. Seidu said, anytime a farmer used more than the prescribe quantity of chemical on any crop, the crop becomes poisonous but the drone system could eliminate this because the drones sprayed the instructed quantity of chemical on every crop uniformly.

“The drone has a sensor that would be used to determine where it ended its work in case there is a need for refill during spraying and its movement cannot be limited by trees on the farm since it can go around them”.

Mr. Seidu promised that Agripower Ghana Limited would station ten drones in the South Tongu District, which would be used to assist farmers in their farming activities.

He urged farmers to use more organic products in growing their crops, stressing that, the organic products had less side effects compared to the inorganic products.

Mr. Maxwell Addadey, an Agricultural Extension Officer expressed joy about the drone system introduced by Agripower Ghana Limited and said “it will save farmers the stress of carrying a heavy knapsack sprayer at their back during spraying and also reduce the time used."