DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 29 — Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture on Monday received a huge drone from the World Food Program (WFP) that will help smallholder farmers fight pests, the WFP said in a statement on Tuesday. The WFP said the drone has the capacity to carry 40 liters of pesticide liquid and is capable of spraying 51 acres of farm for one hour, adding that it also donated 370 tablets to be used by agricultural extension officers. The drone was handed over to Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe in the capital of Dodoma by WFP Representative for Tanzania Sarah Gordon-Gibson. The WFP said the drone and tablets will be used by the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) to support smallholder farmers in Arusha, Manyara, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, and the rest of the country upon requests made directly to the TPHPA. “The drone can also be used to capture data from the field to analyze and identify areas that require treatment, and apply resources only where needed, leading to optimized crop yield,” said the WFP. This drone will immensely help smallholder farmers in the fight against pests that affect most farms in the country, said Bashe. For her part, Gordon-Gibson assured the Tanzanian government of the WFP’s continued support toward the improvement of the agricultural sector.
Xinhua
