A drone sprays fertiliser on a rice farm in Quảng Nam Province. The province plans to promote hi-tech farming and join the global agriculture production supply chain. Photo courtesy Lộc Trời Group

QUẢNG NAM — The central province of Quảng Nam and the Lộc Trời Group have launched the use of drones in agriculture production – the first step in boosting hi-tech farming and joining the global farm produce supply chain in the near future.

The project is part of a series of demonstrations on the use of drones in rice farming in the central region, with the aim of creating a sustainable agriculture system in central provinces of Khánh Hòa, Bình Định, Quảng Nam and Quảng Trị.

The programme, which was debuted by the Lộc Trời Group in 2019, plans to build a chain of 100 co-operatives, with close linkages of enterprises and farmers.

A report from the group showed that a drone could help spray fertiliser and pesticide on 25ha of crops per day, saving production costs of VNĐ200,000 (US$8.7) to VNĐ300,000 ($13) per hectare.

The group said at least 200 drones would be used in rice production in the four provinces in 2020.

It’s also the first ever project to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in agriculture production in central Việt Nam.

Quảng Nam Province began its first organic rice farm zone on 150ha in Điện Bàn town in 2017.— VNS