Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Experts from the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies (IMRI) analyzed foreign experience in using drones in agriculture.

The global agricultural drone market continues to grow. According to GlobalData, the number of agricultural drone-related patents increased 14 times between 2015 and 2021. At the end of 2022, agriculture accounted for almost 11% of the drone market. According to the analytical agency FactMR, the agricultural drone market will quadruple to US$14 billion by 2033.

The main advantages of using agricultural drones in agriculture:

- monitoring and survey of fields;

- field processing;

- sowing;

- crop scanning;

- productivity growth.

The analysis examined the experience of individual countries in expanding the use of drones in agriculture.

Japan has almost 5 million hectares of arable land. Currently, more than 20% of arable land uses drones to control pests, plant diseases and weeds. The country has special rules and a licensing system for operators for the safe operation of drones, that is, uniform principles have been established. This makes it easy for farmers to use this technology on their farms. According to a report from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the country’s agricultural drone market will reach 13.6 billion yen (approximately US$125 million) by the end of 2023.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of Poland, the use of drones can increase the productivity of the sector by up to 5% and lead to an additional increase in economic value of 2.5 billion euros every year. In 2015, the Polish Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) introduced the first set of regulations for drone operators. These regulations set minimum requirements for drone operation, including the requirement for operators to obtain CAA approval for any commercial drone flight. The CAA subsequently updated these rules in 2017 and 2021.

The use of drones in agriculture in Uzbekistan will help increase productivity in the industry, improve crop quality, reduce the negative impact on the environment, and also create additional opportunities to attract young people to agricultural production.