Drones sow 6 million ghaf, acacia seeds

Staff Reporter dubai — Drones were recently flown across 25 locations in the country to disperse a whopping 6 million seeds of ghaf and acacia, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) announced on Tuesday.

The UAE is one of the world’s leading countries when it comes to the use of drones in agriculture. It ranks first globally in terms of the number of seeds dispersed through this innovative method, said Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment.

“The local planting drive aims to preserve indigenous biodiversity and sustain our precious resources. In line with our commitment to leveraging technology to drive environmental sustainability, we have started using drones in agriculture, and the initial results show great promise,” Dr Al Zeyoudi said.

All seeds were carefully prepped to maximise successful planting, and the ministry will closely monitor the areas where they were planted to assess their growth.

Based on the outcomes of the exercise, the MoCCAE plans to diversify the use of the technology, add more local plant species, and expand the territory covered.

The project was carried out in

INNOVATION: The UAE ranks first globally in terms of the number of seeds dispersed through drones.

cooperation with the Nikai Group of Companies, Falcon Eye Drones — a Dubai-based drone-powered solutions company — and with the support of two Emirati businessmen Salem Al Qaidi and Abdullah Al Hayy.

The MoCCAE has previously used drones in a survey of agricultural facilities across the UAE to establish an accurate database of information on farms.

In line with our commitment to leveraging technology to drive environmental sustainability, we have started using drones in agriculture, and the initial results show great promise.”

Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi,

Minister of Climate Change, Environment