Sima fair news
Every farmer will soon have his own drone
At the Sima show in Paris, Airinov is showing a new type of drone: the eBee SQ. It is a variation of the eBee that we also know in the Netherlands. By simplifying the technology and software, Airinov wants to get farmers flying themselves. The French government offers scope and regulations for this.
The eBee from the Swiss Sensefly is also a widely used agricultural drone in the Netherlands. Airinov sells this version with Parrot's Sequoia multispectral camera. That's the eBee SQ. Airinov offers him for less than 10.000 euros. That makes it interesting for large companies to invest in the technology themselves. You don't need a supercomputer to process the images. The French company continues to carry out that work.
In its own words, Airinov now has 10.000 agricultural entrepreneurs as customers. In the past year we have worked hard to simplify the technology and especially the cards so that everyone can use them. The farmer or contractor flies over the plot himself and sends the images to an account in the cloud. The images are then automatically analyzed by Airinov's software. The company charges two days for processing the images and delivering scatter maps. In practice, scanning is mainly done just before a new nitrogen fertilization takes place. In grains, that comes down to two to four times per season. This results in a saving of 50 to 100 euros per hectare, as has been independently researched over several years and in various cereal crops.
Because the data flow is constantly improving, the time it takes to come up with a task card also decreases. Weekly scanning will therefore be possible in the future, if desired. 'If a French arable farmer can demonstrate over several years that his crops are performing well and the nitrogen is usefully fertilized, he is eligible to use more nitrogen, up to a maximum of 50 kilos per hectare,' explains Development Manger Damien van Eeckhout.
Airinov also notices that farmers are looking more closely at their data. Not to sell it, but above all to make sure that their data is not misused by third parties. 'The data we receive from our 10.000 customers is not shared with other companies,' Van Eeckhout assures. 'We only use the collected data to bundle it and thus determine trends. For example, crop yields over several years.
Airinov only sells their eBee SQ in France for now. It has been active in the Netherlands with its drone services since last year. Especially through existing companies such as CZAV. In the Netherlands, Agrometius is a solo importer of the eBee drone, which makes it difficult for Airinov to start selling them. France and other European countries mainly work with variable fertilization in grain. However, for the Dutch market it also has calculation rules for potatoes from the 2017 season.
In our country, Airinov will continue to operate with partner companies for the time being. French law is a lot more flexible when it comes to drones. This way you don't have to fly with two people, which is the case in the Netherlands. France also has a theory and practical exam before you receive a 'licence' to fly.
Niels van der Boom
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