The Regulation governing the operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), which also applies to the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles for the agricultural sector, has been amended to encourage the adoption of modern and precision agricultural practices, the Banana and Plantain Cluster of Ecuador reported.

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The changes were introduced on April 14 by the General Directorate for Civil Aviation, which issued Resolution no. DGACDGAC-2023-0037-R, which reformed the regulation.

The Cluster pointed out that this resolution is the result of a joint effort of the public and private sectors to analyze various possibilities for improvement in the regulation of activities in a technical, grounded and verified manner.

In this way, according to the union, the reforms recognize the technological progress of aerial use of drones, eliminating, among other things, operational restrictions:

According to the cluster, the reforms will motivate the adoption of new technologies for aerofumigation in accordance with the modern practice of global agriculture.

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José Antonio Hidalgo, executive director of the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador, assures that the amendments to the Regulation are positive for the banana sector and the promotion of precision agriculture and the import of new technologies.

“This is great news for the sustainability of the banana sector because of the new technologies that exist today to cover more hectares of banana plantations and sensitive areas,” said Hidalgo, who pointed out that the regulation has not been updated for six years.