Wood performs tests to transport bananas with drones

The note points out that the holder of the folder of Agriculture and Fisheries, Nuno Maciel, accompanied one of the tests, on the site of Caldeira, municipality of Câmara de Lobos, in the west of the island of Madeira, and found the “versatility of the equipment”.

“ This is a step that we wanted to follow from the beginning and that could have great added value for the primary sector, taking into account the characteristics of our region”, says Nuno Maciel, quoted in the statement.

The test apparatus is capable of carrying loads up to 100 kilograms, and the objective is to evaluate the possibility of using this technology in banana transport, reducing the “physical effort required by producers” and making the operation “faster, safer and more efficient”.

The Regional Secretariat also underlines that the use of drones may also contribute to preserving the quality of Madeira bananas by reducing handling during transport.

“ This is also a way of contributing to the disposal of production and keeping agricultural parcels in activity that otherwise run the risk of being abandoned, also contributing to the preservation of the Madeiran agricultural landscape ", stresses Nuno Maciel.

The ruler argues that the acquisition of drones may benefit from support from the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (PEPAC).

“ If the results [of the tests] are positive, Madeira may be among the first regions of Europe to use large-capacity drones in banana transport, taking another step in the modernization of agriculture and in the search for solutions adapted to the particular characteristics of the territory,” says the press release.

The cargo drones will demonstrate in the three days of the Madeira Agricultural Fair, which takes place this weekend in the municipality of Porto Moniz, on the north coast of the island.