In Photo: This photo was taken 2 years ago during a field demo of the Gaspardo Pneumatic Seeder.
The dwindling number of workers willing to toil under the sun, an indirect and unwanted result of the government’s “Ayuda” program, has prompted agricultural entrepreneurs to shift to mechanized farming.
Tractors, Pneumatic Seeders and Agricultural Drones were among the modern equipment I had to acquire as I pursue the propagation of Sorghum and Soybeans.
Our latest acquisition is a used Gaspardo Pneumatic Seeder which could sow seeds and apply fertilizer at the same time covering an area of one hectare is just 45 minutes
Manufactured by Maschio Gaspardo, an Italian agricultural machinery company, the Gaspardo Pneumatic Seeders are designed to sow Corn, Sorghum, Soybeans and other seeds while simultaneously applying basal fertilizer.
The width of the rows and the size of the holes through which the seeds pass through could be adjusted making this equipment very efficient.
To facilitate foliar fertilizer spraying and the application of insecticide or fungicide, we have acquired the Agra T40 Agricultural Drones.
The Agra T40 Drones could cover one hectare in just 10 minutes and could even operate at night because these are GPS-guided.
These are the practical adjustments we have to make to address the absence of farm workers but sadly, not very many farmers could afford to acquire these pieces of modern equipment because of the prohibitive cost.
This is the aspect of farming in the country where government must make investments to boost agricultural production.
