At the beginning of the season, the DroneUA group of companies held a meeting of partners and clients of the agricultural sector to demonstrate the novelties of XAG spraying drones and to develop a common vision for the use of agricultural drones in the current season. Despite the difficult situation, the results of 2022 showed an increase in demand for spraying drone services up to +20%, while the need to optimize costs remained very relevant this year as well. It is in the use of agricultural drones that producers see an opportunity to save costs while maintaining high yields. The technological capabilities of drones as resource-saving solutions are the only tool that guarantees appropriate results. So the ability to work with drones in the fields this season becomes a critical need.
The event took place on March 28 at the AgriLab International Center for Precision Agriculture and brought together representatives of agribusinesses, service companies providing drone spraying services, and technology companies. During the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to get a hands-on look at the work of the new agricultural drone XAG P100 with a changeable functional chassis, the updated line of the ground robotic platform XAG R150 and software enhancements of XAG products already operating on the market.
XAG news
The general trends presented today by the brand-manufacturer XAG are system modification and improvement of drones:
- increasing productivity and efficiency of models;
- simplifying the control of drones;
- increased autonomy in the field, without tethering to the cellular network (improvement of the LNT module);
- multifunctionality and the ability to perform a wide range of operations (autonomous transport platforms and not only);
- minimization of the involvement of human resources (safety factor) in operations related to the use of agrochemicals;
- a systematic approach to the application of robotics in operational processes and with classical equipment;
Agricultural season 2023
Spring field work is already in full swing. Agricultural producers are preparing for the stage of introduction of pesticides, while actively discussing the need to use sprayer drones. Service companies that provide services for the application of agricultural drones by agricultural drones, in turn, report excitement among regular customers who, since last fall, have contracted for the application for the entire 2023 season. Market participants are ready to start the process of communication with specialized associations and ministries to facilitate the procedure for obtaining permits for flights
Due to the difficult financial situation of agribusiness, the issue of saving and optimizing costs while maintaining productivity becomes a priority. The results of the previous seasons have confirmed drones as a resource-saving tool, which has a place in the technology park of every economy. At the same time, the investment in one drone is paid for in a season on a land bank of 100 hectares. If we talk about the trends of the Ukrainian market, since the end of 2022 there has been an increase in the demand for drones among agricultural producers who are forming their own fleet of drones. Instead, in previous years, the lion's share of drones were purchased by service companies.
"Last season was incredibly difficult for each of us. Despite the fact that it became impossible to achieve the planned indicators of work, the market still persisted. And the robotics market even showed growth – 20% more area (about 1.2 million hectares) was treated with sprayer drones than in 2021. And this is a sign of the strength, endurance and systematic work of every farmer, every partner of ours, everyone who works in the field of high agricultural technologies. In 2021, Ukraine became the fastest in conquering robotic technologies in the world, leaving far behind Brazil, the countries of Southeast Asia and some regions of China. And in 2022, despite extremely difficult conditions, Ukraine formed 40% of the European robotics market. All these joint achievements of ours are energizing and make us understand that despite the difficult situation, the market is moving on and this is only the beginning. This year, we will work even better, more systematically and qualitatively," commented Valery Yakovenko, co-founder and managing partner of the DroneUA Group of Companies.
