KOTA BHARU, Nov 4 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) has advised all agricultural drone operators to apply for a valid drone operating licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).
Dr Ahmad Safuan Bujang, director of Mardi’s Engineering Research Centre, said the licence is to ensure that drone usage in the agricultural sector is carried out safely in compliance with established regulations.
He said to support the use of technology in agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) through Mardi has launched an initiative to provide free licence to 350 drone operators nationwide.
“This licence is granted through the implementation of the 2025 Agricultural Drone Tour programme in collaboration with CAAM where farmers will learn about regulatory and safety aspects of operating drones based on the new certification module, called the Remote Certificate of Competency-Agriculture Light (RCOC-AL).
“To fly drones, they must know the regulations in place and possess the skills to operate drones safely, including knowledge of prohibited areas for flying it,” he said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Agricultural Drone Tour for the Eastern Zone here today, which was also attended by chairman of the Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (KADA) Khalid Samad.
Meanwhile, Khalid said KADA encourages farmers and rice farmers under its supervision to use drone technology in agriculture to increase work efficiency and rice yields.
He said using drones is now a modern approach with great potential in the agriculture because it can reduce operating cost and time, besides ensuring more accurate application of fertiliser and pesticide.
“Drones can ensure uniform spraying of fertilisers, pesticides and monitoring with less labour, in line with KADA’s aim to empower the agricultural sector using new technology.
“The integration of drone technology in crop cultivation could also attract the younger generation to venture into the field, aligning with the country’s direction towards modern agriculture and the goal of the 4.0 (Fourth) Industrial Revolution,” he said.
— BERNAMA
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