Drones give ‘wings’ to farmers in remote area

NANCHANG — During the harvest season for navel oranges this winter, unmanned aerial vehicles carrying boxes of the fruit above the plantations have become a common sight in a district of Ganzhou, Jiangxi province.

The UAVs were put into use in Nankang district as part of the local government’s efforts to deliver agricultural products for e-commerce and help boost local farmers’ incomes in the mountainous region.

In November 2018, Xu Chaodong, a local fruit farmer, received a special invitation from courier service provider SF Express, his long-term business partner.

“They wanted to start a trial for drone deliveries,” said Xu, adding that his produce would be sent to the distribution center after being picked and packed by farmers and carried by drones.

In August 2017, the Civil Aviation Administration of China launched a pilot project in Nankang to help local farmers increase their incomes with the help of drone delivery.

“Through drone delivery, a large number of our agricultural products can enter the market more conveniently and quickly,” said Xu Yile, deputy chief of the district.

It was difficult for farmers in the remote mountainous region to sell their produce at higher prices on e-commerce platforms due to poor transportation, Xu said.

In March 2018, SF Express received China’s first operating license for experimental drone deliveries in Nankang district from the East China Regional Administration of CAAC.

“The drone delivery project has covered five townships in Nankang, and benefited about 26,000 rural households,” said Fang Yuan, head of the project at SF Express.

Most poor households in the district in southern Jiangxi live in remote mountainous areas.

“Their farm products, like eggs, are unable to reach customers beyond the areas they are produced,” Xu said.

“By utilizing UAVs, farmers will earn extra simply by raising hens and selling eggs.”

The drone logistics project has given “wings” to the development of local industry in the rural area, Xu added.