Ukraine’s once pioneering agriculture drone industry is hoping to return to the skies

The large size of its farms and a regulatory Wild West allowed Ukraine to quickly grow into an agriculture drone powerhouse. Restrictions due to the war have killed off growth in an industry that is hoping for a renaissance once the fighting is over. In 2024, DroneUA, Ukraine’s largest importer and distributor of drones used for agricultural purposes, recorded a turnover of $120 million (CHF99.1 million) from its Ukraine business. Despite the Russian invasion in 2022, the company has been growing steadily but not fast enough for its founder Valerii Iakovenko who is looking overseas for growth. “At the end of 2021, there was a spike in interest in agricultural drones in Ukraine and we were forecasting a tripling or quadrupling of growth in sales in 2022. But war started and during wartime, you cannot freely use the airspace at all,” Iakovenko told SWI swissinfo.ch. In 2023, he set up a new company called Futurology in Newton, Pennsylvania where he has extended family. His American ... Full story here Are you the author? Previous post See more for 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy Next post
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