Dien Bien tested UAV spraying fertilizer for coffee trees

At the launching ceremony of digging holes to plant coffee and macadamia trees and testing the low-altitude economic development model in Muong Ang commune, on April 3, FPT and Truong Thinh Drone deployed UAVs to serve foliar fertilization of coffee trees.

The test area is a coffee growing hill in the Ang Cang Lake area, Manh Danh village. After 10 minutes, the UAV sprayed fertilizer on plants on an area of ​​one hectare, while if the manual method was maintained, it could take three days of work, due to the rugged terrain, people had to carry water up the hill to cultivate. FPT representative said that even in delta areas, spraying an equivalent area takes 2-3 hours. The amount of water needed when spraying manually is 200 liters/ha, while with a drone it is about 30-50 liters/ha.

Mr. Lo Van Cuong, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, assessed that the testing is important in realizing the goal of restructuring the agricultural sector towards centralized production, associated with the application of science and technology.

With steep hills and mountains accounting for 90%, agricultural cultivation in Dien Bien faces many challenges due to scattered terrain, difficulty in mechanization, while labor resources are increasingly limited and production costs are increasing. Putting UAVs into production is estimated to help optimize farming processes, solve the problem of lack of personnel and save on materials, creating a foundation for the application of precision agricultural methods in the future.

Mr. Cuong also requested the Department of Science and Technology to promote the application of science and technology, deploy a low-altitude space economic development model, and apply unmanned aerial vehicles to serve agricultural production to support people in improving productivity and labor efficiency.

Previously, in early March, a working delegation of the Ministry of Science and Technology led by Deputy Minister Bui Hoang Phuong also came to work in a number of communes in Dien Bien province to assess the need for high technology application.

After that, Dien Bien became the first locality in the country to propose participating in a controlled testing project (sandbox) of a low-altitude space economic development model applying unmanned aerial vehicles in the province. In the project, FPT cooperates with Vietnam Post Corporation and drone partners to apply UAVs in agriculture for spraying fertilizers, medicines, sowing rice, monitoring crop conditions…

According to Mr. Vu Anh Tu, CEO of FPT UAV, FPT Corporation, in places with steep mountainous terrain like Dien Bien, drone technology has great value when it can support people to work quickly, accurately and economically, reduce human effort and increase productivity. UAVs can also serve to transport agricultural products, goods, medical equipment, patrol and surveillance or tourism. If deployed effectively, it will create a complete ecosystem for the province, create more jobs, and stimulate economic and tourism development.

The testing in Muong Ang commune aims to verify practical effectiveness, create a scientific basis to evaluate and perfect the process before replicating, ensuring safety and suitability for local conditions. According to FPT, the low-end economy can bring in 10 billion USD and create one million jobs for Vietnam by 2035.