DE - depa have launched the historic TADC 2024

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE), led by depa, is organising the regional qualifying rounds of the Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024 (TADC 2024), a key activity under the 1 Tambon 1 Digital (Chumchon Drone Jai) Project. Kicked off in Surat Thani for the southern region, the competition is aiming to find the best teams in agricultural drone piloting and repair. The goal is to enhance the skills of agricultural drone pilots and repair technicians while selecting the top teams to compete in the national championship this November.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President and CEO of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), announced that the DE Ministry, in collaboration with depa and its partners, is currently hosting the historic Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024. The event is held in competition for the royal trophies bestowed by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, with total prize money exceeding 1 million baht. The competition is a key activity under the "1 Tambon 1 Digital (Chumchon Drone Jai) Project", serving as a platform to enhance the capabilities of agricultural drone pilots and repair technicians nationwide.

"The 1 Tambon 1 Digital (Chumchon Drone Jai) Project aims to create a digital ecosystem while promoting the adoption of locally-produced agricultural drones certified by depa's dSURE standards. The initiative focuses on equipping farmers and communities with essential knowledge and skills in drone operation and maintenance. Furthermore, it seeks to transition traditional repair businesses into agricultural drone repair centres. The goal of establishing 50 centres will empower 500 communities, or approximately 10,000 households, to use drones in agriculture, with the expectation of covering over 4 million rai of farmland within one year," commented the depa President and CEO.

Recently, Surat Thani province, in collaboration with depa and its partners, organised the Southern regional qualifying round of the Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024, featuring both drone flying and maintenance categories. The event was officially opened by Mr. Phoonsak Sophonpathumrak, Mayor of Kanchanadit District, with Mr. Boonthawee Duangnirat, Acting Director of the Community Development Promotion Division, and Mr. Raphiphat Namnaphol, Division Manager of the Lower Southern Provincial Cluster Office, serving as key figures. Held at the Surat Thani Oil Palm Research Centre, numerous government officials, private sector representatives, community groups, farmers and members of the general public attended the event.

Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024 is divided into two stages: the regional qualifiers across five regions—South, Central and West, East, Northeast and North—and the national championship final. Scoring criteria will be based on the best time, accuracy, and completeness of the mission, aimed at identifying the winners in each category.

The Southern Regional Qualifiers of the Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024 in Surat Thani, attracting 45 teams for the agricultural drone piloting category and 20 teams for the agricultural drone repair category. The results of the competition are as follows:

Agricultural Drone Piloting Category:

• 1st Place: Tao Tong Team- Awarded 50,000 THB
• 2nd Runner-Up: NAc1 Team - Awarded 30,000 THB
• 3rd Runner-Up: Drone Cing Nai Hua Bon Team - Awarded 10,000 THB

Agricultural Drone Repair Category:

• 1st Place: SRPC Team - Awarded 30,000 THB
• 2nd Runner-Up: Chang Kol Kaset 3 Team - Awarded 20,000 THB
• 3rd Runner-Up: KB Drone Kaset Team- Awarded 10,000 THB

Additionally, The Southern regional qualifying round of Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024 will select the top 10 teams with the highest scores from the agricultural drone piloting category and the top 6 teams from the agricultural drone repair category to compete in the national finals. The championship will be held in November at the Thai Tapioca Development Institute in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The Southern regional qualifying round of Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024 also received support from private sector partners, including Yara (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Easy 2018 Co., Ltd. (NAcDrone) and Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. These companies share the common goal of creating jobs, career opportunities and access to digital skills for communities, farmers and local technicians. These values contribute to the country's advancement towards a successful digital economy and society.

Interested agricultural drone pilots and maintenance technicians from the Central and West, East, Northeast and North regions can register for the Thailand Agriculture Drone Competition 2024 until 25 October. For more details, please visit https://short.depa.or.th/TADC2024 or contact 065 442 4347, 065 442 4729 or email to [email protected]. Live broadcasts of the drone flying and maintenance competitions from all regional rounds and the national championship final are available on the Facebook Page: depa Thailand.