Having already established itself in North America, Guydrones – a company headed by a U.S based Guyanese couple – is looking to change the face of agriculture in Guyana with the use of drone technology.
The company was launched on Friday after months of engagements with local authorities to get the necessary approvals to move the process forward.
It comes after years of talks at the government and private sector levels on how drone technology can substitute dwindling manpower in not only the agricultural sector but also construction and oil and gas.
Chief Executive Officer of Guydrones Rani Rama said although the company was started abroad, she and her husband Ershad Mahamed, as Vice President of Operations, have always had Guyana at heart.
She said the technology has already proven successful in the United States of America and Canada and believes it will serve the local market well.
“The road ahead will have challenges… but we are here to ensure that we fulfill our mandate and go above and beyond,” she said while delivering welcome remarks at the launch held at the Lusignan Gold Club.
Mahamed, who is a pilot and worked for several years with drone technology, said he was excited about the prospects.
Using the Agras T20 and the P4 Multispeed, he said the company will begin by offering a range of services in the agriculture sector.
These include cross-monitoring, surveying, data mapping, environmental monitoring, and prospecting.
He said among the major advantages of using drone technology in agriculture are greater efficiency and less cost.
The launch of the company received the full endorsement of the government with George Jarvis as a Technical Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture committing the Ministry’s full support.
He said with reduced ambition pushing people to work in the agriculture sector, the introduction of this type of technology to ensure precise mechanized agriculture was important.
“It’s a good innovation and we at the Ministry of Agriculture will support it as far as we can… it surely offers a competitive edge,” Jarvis said.
The company also received the endorsement of Head of Go-Invest Peter Ramsaroop.
In recent months, Guydrones has gained increasing traction in the Guyana agriculture market. Innovative precision agriculture technology is being increasingly adopted throughout Guyana farms and Guydrones is at the forefront of servicing this market with aerial surveying/data collection and analysis.
Guydrones is currently looking to hire motivated, energetic team members to help with its remotely piloted aircraft systems.