Skip to main content

Agriculture drones arrive to combat locust


By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Federal Minister for Science & Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, has continued taking up a number of innovations to make his presence felt in a big way. He has been keen in introducing modern gadgets for boosting efficiency.

He was credited to have introduced for the first time scientific calendar with precise dates of various Islamic events. 

When the country started confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and there was acute shortage of life saving ventilators, he stood up, took it up as a challenge and launched Made in Pakistan ventilators. 

As the country was passing through dual challenges of COVID-19 and locusts, he mobilized all his resources and succeeded in launching agriculture drones that could greatly help in stemming locust attacks which had challenged the country’s food security. 

Giving salient features of the state of the art Made in Pakistan drone made by a private entity on his directives, he said that the drone can carry 16 litres of pesticides and it can spray in 18 minutes to only the affected part of the agriculture land. 

Talking to media regarding his ministry's future plans, Fawad Chaudhry pointed out that he has formulated three, five and seven years plans as beyond that one couldn’t predict. 

This drone, he said, will be greatly helpful for small growers to safeguard their produce from insects and locusts and bring revolution in their life, pointing out that they will concentrate on three areas of chemicals, electronics and precision agriculture.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

KDSP: Empowering Individuals with Down Syndrome in Karachi

The Karachi Down Syndrome Program (KDSP), a beacon of hope and support, is making significant strides in empowering individuals with Down syndrome in the city. Founded in March 2014 by a group of passionate parents and individuals, KDSP addresses the critical need for comprehensive resources and platforms for those with Down syndrome in Karachi. Bridging the Gap: A Mission of Advocacy and Inclusion KDSP operates as a non-profit organization with a clear mission: to advocate for the value, acceptance, and inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome. Recognizing the limited support and resources available locally, KDSP was established to provide a nurturing environment where individuals with Down syndrome can lead independent and fulfilling lives. A Lifelong Journey of Support Understanding the unique needs of individuals with Down syndrome and their families, KDSP offers unwavering support from the moment a family receives a diagnosis.  They embark on a journey with each family, pro...

China’s maize-soybean technology brings bumper harvest in Punjab

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) The harvest of maize-soybean strip inter-cropping demonstration in Bahawalpur, Punjab, was completed on July 6. The yields of soybean and maize reached 1,304 kg/ha and 8,596 kg/ha respectively, which exhibited satisfactory results. This was indeed encouraging news for local farmers who desired growing soybean without curbing the cultivation of maize, the Gwadar Pro, a Chinese website, reported July 7.  Maize harvest in this inter-cropping field outdistanced the country’s average maize yield which was only around 5,000 kg per hectare. Meanwhile, the farmers received considerable soybeans as an additional return.  As the selling price of soybean was two to three times that of maize, when comparing the two crops as a whole, the overall economic benefit had been significantly improved.  “If you calculate the total benefits, maize-soybean inter-cropping will be the best system in terms of i...

China's port city Tianjin houses beautiful mosque

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) Tianjin, one the China’s busiest port cities and close to Beijing, has a beautiful masque sprawling on 1970 meters with all modern facilities for worshippers.  The famous Tianjin East Mosque is located in downtown at Ermalu Road in Nankai district. Tianjin is estimated to have around a Muslim population of 180,000.  The mosque was built anew in 2008 when it was relocated to shift for more spacious space to facilitate the local Muslims.  The new mosque is very beautiful with modern facilities thus the atmosphere becomes more comfortable for the worshippers. The walls of the main prayer hall are decorated with verses from Holy Quran.