How Far Can DJI Agricultural Drones Fly?

Latin America, located in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere, is the farthest region from China. With superior production conditions and rich agricultural resources, it is considered the "granary of the world" for the 21st century.

 

 

As a natural extension of the Maritime Silk Road, China has developed closer relations with Latin American countries under the Belt and Road initiative, and broad agricultural cooperation between the two regions looks promising: Brazilian coffee, avocados from Mexico, Cuban sugar, and many other Latin American agricultural products are now common in Chinese homes. However, many people do not realize that cutting-edge Chinese aerial application technology is starting to see widespread application in Latin American agriculture, quietly influencing the development of agricultural science and technology in the region.

 

In 2016, DJI Agriculture officially entered the Latin American market. To date, agricultural drones from DJI agriculture are already used on over 2.6 million acres of Latin American farmland. They are used for the cultivation of coffee, sugarcane, melons, corn, and other crops all over South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

 

 

Intelligence Raises the Quality of Specialty Coffee

 

Located in the eastern part of South America, Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, accounting for a third of global coffee production. Its terrain of rolling hills and pleasant climate make the coffee from Minas Gerais in southern Brazil famous throughout the world.

 

In recent years, insects and plant diseases, such as coffee rust, have affected coffee production, increasing the demand for pesticide spraying on coffee plantations. However, specialty coffee plantations are often located on steep slopes, making manual pest control and other traditional methods difficult.

 

In 2018, DJI Agriculture's Agras MG-1P agricultural drones began to be used on Brazilian coffee plantations, bringing the power of technological innovation to the centuries-old coffee industry. When attacked by coffee rust, the drones flew into action, bringing new life to the old plantations.

 

 

 

Precision Prevents Contamination While Protecting Crops

 

In contrast to the difficult terrain of Brazilian coffee plantations, banana plantations in Ecuador face the problem of environmental contamination due to traditional crop protection methods.

 

Ecuador is the world's largest exporter of bananas. As banana trees grow to about 5 meters in height, manual spraying is of limited effectiveness. Therefore, plantations often used fixed-wing aircraft.

 

However, as most banana plantations are near rivers or residential areas, it is hard for fixed-wing aircraft to spray pesticides without the risk of contaminating the local area, resulting in a great deal of environmental contamination to rivers and other bodies of water.

 

In order to address the problem of river pollution, the Ecuadorian government called for the use of drones for more precise aerial application. Currently, DJI Agriculture's Agras MG-1P RTK agricultural drones are used with local single-rotor aircraft, providing a precise solution for banana plantations and effectively reducing river pollution.

 

 

Sugar Means Job for Low-income Countries

 

El Salvador, located in the north of Central America, is one of the smallest countries in the world. Its domestic economy is dominated by agriculture, particularly sugarcane and cotton. Due to the country's weak industrial economy, incomes in El Salvador are generally low, and there is little investment in agricultural technology.

 

As China develops increasingly close economic and trade relations with El Salvador, it has begun to export agricultural technology to the country. In 2019, agricultural drones from DJI technology officially began operating in El Salvador.

 

Currently, DJI is working with partners in El Salvador to establish specialized agricultural service companies in order to train drone operators. This will stimulate the prosperous growth of the crop protection industry for sugarcane and other local crops.

 

 

 

Hard Work Is Necessary for Precision Agriculture

 

In addition to using efficient equipment to serve resource-rich Latin American countries, DJI Agriculture continuously promotes local talent development and technical training in order to lay a foundation for high-quality services.

 

Currently, DJI Agriculture has already established a complete aftersales and user training system in Latin America. This system trains users in everything from theoretical knowledge to drone operation to complete workflows. By adapting measures to local conditions, DJI is able to tailor its high-quality aerial application solutions to the needs of Latin American farmers.

 

In September 2019 alone, DJI Agriculture held dozens of in-person training sessions in Mexico, Peru, Honduras, and other countries, attracting an increasing number of young professionals.

 

The Belt and Road initiative represents a major development opportunity for Latin America and also provides a platform through which China can export agricultural technology to the region. Advocating the principle of mutually beneficial partnerships, DJI Agriculture wishes to use its aerial application technology to promote and improve the application of agricultural technology in Latin America. This will create new opportunities for the development of Latin American agriculture and promote the healthy development of Sino-Latin American cooperation in agriculture.

 

In the past, our ancestors sailed across the sea along the Maritime Silk Road. In the future, DJI Agriculture will again take to the seas with a new blueprint for the development of precision agriculture in Latin America.