Zigui's 'orange carriers’ boost drone service industry
2024-04-06 20:04:00
Translator and Editor: Tan Maolin, Yichang International Communication Studio
Journalist: Wan Longyun, Three Gorges Daily
Zigui Lunwan oranges began to hit the market in March. In Zigui orchards, the drones known as "orange carriers" have become a unique attraction.
"We sold 45 drones in 2023 and already 200 in the first two months of 2024, ushering in explosive growth," said Liu Huide, head of Zigui Honglai Agricultural Service Co, adding that the hot sales showed that farmers have recognized the ability of drones to spread pesticides and transport fruits.
Song Younian is the head of Huifei Plant Protection Professional Cooperative, which is a branch of Honglai. Previous experience in his college drone club helped him to accumulate rich practical experiences in drone operation and maintenance. About 1,200 drones are needed to serve the 400,000 mu (26,667 hectares) of orange trees and 110,000 mu of tea fields in Zigui. At this scale, the current number of drones is far from enough, said Song.
He said that the growth of orange cultivation drones is primarily due to two reasons. Firstly, the expansion of digital applications has powered drones to undertake more jobs. Secondly, the rise of labor and time costs make using drone in orange harvesting a worthy investment. "Drones have greatly reduced costs for fruit farmers. The cheapest labor transportation used to cost 0.35 yuan (5 US cents) for short-range and 0.60 to 0.70 yuan for long-range per 500 grams, but now drone transportation costs only 0.20 yuan per 500 grams."
Training a drone pilot is much more complicated. Zigui currently has 600 licensed pilots, of whom only 50 are experienced. Song hopes that the wider application of drones will bring more employment opportunities for young people, and allow more locals to return to their hometown to find work or start their own businesses in drone services.
Journalist: Wan Longyun, Three Gorges Daily
Zigui Lunwan oranges began to hit the market in March. In Zigui orchards, the drones known as "orange carriers" have become a unique attraction.
Song Younian is the head of Huifei Plant Protection Professional Cooperative, which is a branch of Honglai. Previous experience in his college drone club helped him to accumulate rich practical experiences in drone operation and maintenance. About 1,200 drones are needed to serve the 400,000 mu (26,667 hectares) of orange trees and 110,000 mu of tea fields in Zigui. At this scale, the current number of drones is far from enough, said Song.
He said that the growth of orange cultivation drones is primarily due to two reasons. Firstly, the expansion of digital applications has powered drones to undertake more jobs. Secondly, the rise of labor and time costs make using drone in orange harvesting a worthy investment. "Drones have greatly reduced costs for fruit farmers. The cheapest labor transportation used to cost 0.35 yuan (5 US cents) for short-range and 0.60 to 0.70 yuan for long-range per 500 grams, but now drone transportation costs only 0.20 yuan per 500 grams."
Training a drone pilot is much more complicated. Zigui currently has 600 licensed pilots, of whom only 50 are experienced. Song hopes that the wider application of drones will bring more employment opportunities for young people, and allow more locals to return to their hometown to find work or start their own businesses in drone services.
