A change of heart and farms of future

For years, Syed Azmat, 27, dreamt of landing a job abroad and settling there for good. And so, when he was offered a job in Saudi Arabia, he was ecstatic. However, just days before he was to leave for Saudi Arabia, he had a change of mind - or rather, heart.

“I stumbled upon a list of countries who were using drone technology for civic purposes. Private entities in the top-ranked countries on the list had been employing drone technology to deliver solutions for public issues, and in turn strengthen the economy,” narrated Azmat. “What made me change my mind was that Pakistan was not even among the top 100 countries on the list while India ranked seventh.”

There, Azmat saw an opportunity to put his expertise in the technology to good use. He had already assembled a drone, which could carry items weighing up to 40 kilogrammes, right after he graduated from the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology four years ago. The device was procured by different companies who used it for surveillance, mapping and other purposes.

Having confidence in his abilities, Azmat was now set to employ the technology to facilitate agriculturists.

He found drone technology useful for practicing precision agriculture, which could help farmers reduce costs and increase production simultaneously.

Moved by his ambition, he was able to put together a drone prototype specifically designed to spray pesticides on crops. To popularise its use, he then also set up a company by the name of Dynamics VTOL.

“Most farmers in Sindh and Punjab have been appreciative of the innovation and some even termed it ‘revolutionary’ for the agriculture sector,” said Azmat.

So far, Azmat has created two drones for the purpose, which he said, can be put to use by the end of this year.

Each of these drones can carry pesticides weighing up to 16 litres, which can be sprayed over 60 to 70 acres of land in eight hours using the devices, as opposed to two to five acres of land covered by manual spraying in the same time frame, according to Azmat.

Outlining the benefits of using this technology over traditional methods of spraying pesticides, he said, “Spraying through drones minimises the wastage of pesticides by 40 per cent and ensures that it is sprayed uniformly across a field.” Uneven spraying of pesticides poses a threat to human lives, he added, pointing out that produce that has pesticide content beyond a certain limit can’t be exported to Europe and various developed countries across the world either. To add to it, excessive spraying of pesticides can affect the fertility of soil and causes environmental damage, he said.

Besides, said Azmat, the cost of spraying pesticides using these drones and manually spraying them on an acre of land is the same, but the use of drone technology reduces the time it would take to complete the task by 70 per cent.

He said that the drones have been designed such that they can be used for spraying pesticides on all kinds of crops and fields, and even in orchards.

Azmat hopes that the drones he has developed, which he will start supplying to farmers in Sindh and Punjab soon this month, will help growers overcome multiple drawbacks of manual spraying.

“I aim to design as many as 15 such drones in the coming years,” he said, adding that one of his drones was already being used to spray fields in Darsano Channo area in Karachi’s suburbs, and another one would be put to use in Dialpur, Punjab, to spray pesticides on potato produce, in the coming fortnight.

Next, he said, he aims to use the drones for seed dispersal, which will further help farmers save time and costs.

“I want to see Pakistan among the top countries using smart agricultural solutions. Doing so can help meet the country’s food requirements amid the consistent rise in population,” said Azmat.

In this regard, he also suggests launching awareness campaigns to inform people about the benefits of employing modern technology as well as setting up mechanisms to register drones in Pakistan and issue licences to drone pilots in the country.

“This will make it easier to use drones for public issues,” he opined.

This story is part of a weekly series that seeks to bring to light the unsung heroes of Karachi - the hawkers, traders, doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers and daily-wage labourers. It is they who make Karachi the city of lights.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2020.