In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Li Cheng, a 62 year old farmer, has planted fields for more than 40 years and takes care of his 7 hectares of paddy fields every day. Previously, he only had a few temporary hired workers, making it difficult to guarantee the sowing time and quality; Now, he has a stable “new partner” – agricultural drones, which have higher sowing efficiency and lower costs.
As one of the earliest farmers in Vietnam to use drones to grow rice, Li Chengyuan’s drones came from Guangdong and were independently developed by Jifei Technology. Nowadays, not only in Vietnam, but also in Switzerland, Canada, the UK, Japan, Cambodia, Brazil, Ecuador and other countries, many “new farmers” are using these “Guangdong made” agricultural drones.
According to data released by Jifei Technology recently, its overseas business grew by 260% year-on-year from January to June this year, with demand for Jifei Technology’s intelligent agricultural equipment skyrocketing in Latin America and Southeast Asia, with year-on-year growth rates reaching 382% and 279%, respectively.
Whenever the peak season for rice cultivation comes, Li Chengyuan always worries about hiring workers. We agreed with the workers to sow in the morning, but they only came in the afternoon. At that time, the seeds had already sprouted, and the tender buds were easily broken during the sowing process, leading to a reduction in production, “Li Chengyuan admitted.
Currently, Vietnam is facing a shortage of agricultural labor and rising production costs. According to World Bank statistics, the proportion of agricultural workers in Vietnam has decreased from 49% in 2010 to 36% in 2020. Compared to three years ago, the price of farm workers has now increased by up to 40%.
The cost of hiring workers is often higher than one’s final income, and new technologies must be found to solve this problem, “said Li Chengyuan. Until last year, he first came into contact with agricultural drones from his Vietnamese partner at Jifei Technology and found that using drones to work can not only reduce burden but also improve work efficiency.
Nowadays, more and more farmers around the world are using drones produced in Guangdong, hoping to introduce new production tools to reduce costs and increase efficiency, and promote sustainable agricultural development. Du Korsha, the first female agricultural UAV pilot in Battambang province Province, Cambodia, has been working for this desire for more than two years. In October 2020, when the COVID-19 spread in Cambodia, she purchased a polar UAV to provide crop spraying services for local farmers. Now, she has organized 2 plant protection service teams, with a total of 7 “flying hands”, serving over 100 farmers and covering an area of over 10000 acres.
According to data released by Jifei Technology recently, its overseas business grew by 260% year-on-year from January to June this year, with demand for Jifei Technology’s intelligent agricultural equipment skyrocketing in Latin America and Southeast Asia, with year-on-year growth rates reaching 382% and 279%, respectively. In Vietnam, where business volume is growing rapidly, many users have reported that compared to traditional planting modes, drones have a 4 times higher efficiency and a 14% increase in production compared to manual spraying, “said Cao Nan, Director of Jifei Technology’s Overseas Business Department.
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