Though some overseas governments are sceptical, China’s agricultural drones are blanketing countrysides as farmers begin to automate. — SCMP
When Wang Fei started his agricultural drone company five years ago, the distinctive whirr of the autonomous vehicles went practically unheard over the wide swathes of farmland in his home county of Anlu.
A former sales manager for agricultural machines in the western hub of Chengdu, Wang said at the time he saw “great prospects” for the potential applications of drone technology before returning home to see those prospects out.
Now, Chufei Agriculture’s services cover about 40% of the farmland in Anlu. With unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) sowing seeds or spraying pesticides and fertilisers, yields are up for the central Chinese county and its population of about 487,000.
Wang’s success story is one of many unfolding as the pace of technological change in China ramps up. Its near-universal adoption of agriculture drones has sent the country to the top of global charts in terms of total operation area – and raised concerns in the United States over the devices’ ubiquity on American farms.
In the past year, a world-leading fleet of 251,000 spraying drones covered an aggregate 2.67 billion mu (178 million hectares) in China, according to data from the National Agro-tech Extension and Service Centre. Both figures increased nearly 25% compared with 2023.
As China begins to look to what it terms the “low-altitude economy” – airborne economic activity within a range of 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) above ground – as a source of future growth, farm drones have been frequently mentioned as a pioneering innovation.
While the market is also seeking ways to apply the technology to various fields including logistics, tourism and mapping, about 98% of the flight time of China’s autonomous fleet is related to agriculture, said Peng Bin, founder and CEO of XAG, a major Chinese UAV manufacturer known for its agricultural drones.
However, as farmers in countries like the US take notice of China’s products – and consider sourcing their equipment from the country’s more affordable stock – controversy has followed.
A dozen lawmakers urged US President Joe Biden to address the potential risks of the technology in September, Reuters reported, with the petitioners stating their use on American farms may present a risk to national security.
A sizeable share of the vehicles comes from DJI, China’s leading UAV maker. A defence bill passed in the US Congress on Dec 18 included a clause prohibiting DJI and another Chinese firm from selling new drones in the US if a review finds they pose an “unacceptable” security risk.
Wang of Chufei Agriculture said these concerns were unwarranted; while the craft can record the boundaries of a field and determine a suitable height for operations, they cannot comprehend more sensitive details like what is being planted.
US farmers tend to choose Chinese drones over domestic alternatives largely because “we can build this machine at a low cost”, he said.
Agricultural drones are complex pieces of technology, both in terms of performance and the skills required to pilot them, said Yu Jingbing, founder of Shenzhen-based drone operator training centre Global Hawk UAV.
“The flying environment of agricultural drones is relatively harsh,” he said. “Long-term exposure to high temperatures, humidity, corrosion, low altitude and low speed will place higher requirements on performance and maintenance.”
When it comes to spraying pesticides, he added, “the concentration of the drug, the speed and altitude of flight are all determined with long-term experience.”
Even with overseas sales somewhat dampened by fears of security vulnerabilities, China’s agricultural drones have not come close to full saturation in the domestic sphere, Wang said. He estimated only 30% of the potential market as currently accounted for.
Chinese authorities have turned their focus to the fast-expanding drone sector as they seek new growth drivers and look to reorient the country’s economy.
A department dedicated to the “low-altitude economy” has been formed under China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the emergent subsector was named in the central government’s work report for the first time last March.
According to public records, on December 20 six state-owned companies in Shanghai jointly founded a new company, Shanghai Low-Altitude Economy Industry Development. The firm has registered capital of 900mil yuan (RM552.35mil or US$123.28mil). – South China Morning Post
