As the monsoon season starts with ample rainfalls, XAG is actively scaling up the use of its agricultural drones in Vietnam to make rice production more sustainable. Faced with the soaring prices of agricultural inputs, Vietnamese farmers can now employ drones from XAG to grow more rice using fewer resources. From direct seeding, pesticide spraying to fertilizer application, XAG’s agricultural drones have seen its increasing popularity among rural youth who are keen to earn a decent salary as drone pilot.
Also Read: Blue Ocean Barns Brominata Approved for Sale in California
Vietnam is the world’s second largest exporter of rice, which is also the staple food consumed by 90% of the total population and the main source of income for millions of small-scale farmers. More than 50% of the country’s rice is cultivated in the Mekong Delta region, known as the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam that produces three crops per year. However, the surge in fertilizer and pesticide prices, as a result of global supply chain disruption, has urged Vietnamese farmers to cut back crop nutrients and chemical essential to boosting rice yields.
Across the rice fields of Mekong Delta, XAG has been working with local service teams to help rice farmers use resources more effectively and fight the rising costs. Drones designed for agricultural use can reduce seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers without affecting crop yields through precise, effortless operation. According to XAG’s local distributor DigiDrone, compared with traditional farming, agricultural drone can spray crops 4 times faster than manual labor while improving yield by 14%.
The Mekong Delta becomes the major battlefield to adopt new technology and shift away from intensive rice farming. In Dong Thap province, XAG P40 agricultural drone was used to spread lime on a 40-day paddy field to treat bacterial disease and provide calcium nutrients for rice plants. In addition to pesticide application, broadcasting of granule fertilizer and crop nutrient is another primary scenario of drones.
During the operation, the young pilot controlled the drone with a smartphone and preset parameters including flight speed, height, lime volume and spreading width to fulfill automation. As the XAG drone carried a 25-liter container and the spreading system RevoCast, the lime powder was spread evenly and accurately on the 1.5-hectare rice paddy. The strong wind force of the drone helped lime in contact with the rice plant from top to bottom, saving 30% lime powder and enabling better absorption by the crops.