On January 30, the first meeting of the newly created Subcommittee on Agrarian Technologies of the SUP was held in an open format. The Chairman of the Subcommittee, the founder of DroneUA, Valery Yakovenko, spoke about the key directions that are on the agenda of the industry today and on which the newly created association will focus:
p>1. Support for creating unique solutions in agtech
Drones should have been included in the list of agricultural equipment and machinery that should be subject to compensation. However, now the priorities of the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine have shifted to the area of supporting the land market, and all budgets planned for certain programs have been redistributed.
«A positive trend is that the dialogue with representatives of such associations as SUP is being conducted and we hear what they plan to do and what not to bet on. In addition, it is not always about direct sales or compensation from the state. There are many other sources of funding, for example, receiving budgeting from the World Bank, which this year allocated funds to support various initiatives, including to ensure the transparency of the land market. Access to this information is not always easy, and the point is that associations can provide such information for their members and help in this way, — says the head of the Subcommittee.
2. Amendments to the Air Code of Ukraine
Many prescribed archaisms in Ukrainian legislation prevent the market from developing. Despite the fact that in the development of the drone industry, Ukraine is one of the most loyal markets in the world, in the future, the same legislative framework cannot be used.
Yes, thanks to the application of plant protection products with the help of drone sprayers in China, more than 11 million hectares of land were cultivated in 2019. In Ukraine, these drones are not so easy to use due to weight restrictions: everything above 25 kg must have a certificate, the pilot must be certified (as in classic aviation).
«The State Aviation Service is developing new documents that would regulate the sky for the use of drones. Individual members of the working group can convey a point of view, but the law must be approved at the level of the Transport Committee of the Republic of Belarus and must be put to a vote, which cannot be done without additional communication. And here the participation of powerful associations is important.
We want European legislation to be implemented when it comes to risk classification, and this is important not only for developers, but also for potential users of technology – agricultural enterprises.
3. Education and additional knowledge
The task of the Subcommittee is to report on unique exchange and training programs in different parts of the world.
«Ukraine is definitely not a market that is far behind, we – at the peak of innovation, we use all possible tools successfully. Powerful foreign companies are opening their R&D centers (research and research) in Ukraine, and the global monopolist in the production of drones, the DJI company, single out Ukraine as one of the two most promising agro markets next year in the world», — noted Valery Yakovenko.
Features of the agtech market in Ukraine today:
- — The concept of agtech development at the state level within the framework of the Export Strategy of the IT sector and the Digital Agenda for Ukraine;
- — Many pilot projects with large agricultural companies;
- — Growing interest from international corporations;
- — Specialized media resources and projects;
- — Opportunities for startups (RE:actor Challenges, 1991, YEP!, Sector X, Deminium Startups etc.).
All valid members of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs can become a member of the Subcommittee on Agrarian Technologies of the SUP.
Join the SUP: https://sup.org.ua/uk.
