26 May 2021, Kyiv – For the first time in Ukraine, agricultural drones developed by leading global robotics & AI company XAG was recorded the highest level of spray drone performance. As Ukraine becomes the second largest grain exporter, XAG has actively introduced drone and ground robot into this emerging agricultural superpower, which helps smooth its transition to autonomous farming.  XAG Agricultural Drones taking off in UkraineSince hitting the Ukraine market at the end of 2020, XAG Agricultural Drones have been rapidly scaling up to help Ukrainian farmers reap better harvest and reduce chemical usage. Ukraine holds soft regulation over spray drones flying over the fields, which makes it become one of the favourable markets in Europe to embrace large-scale agricultural drone use.  XAG has collaborated with DroneUA, one of the top 20 innovative companies in Ukraine, to distribute its agricultural drones and robots that can sow seeds, spray crops, and spread fertilisers. It is anticipated that this would tap the under-equipped agricultural sector of Ukraine which plays a key role in fulfilling the increasing global food demand.  Promising tools for the fertile black soil In cooperation with Agro-Region, one of Ukraine’s largest agricultural holdings, the DroneUA team hosted a practical demonstration this April to evaluate the effectiveness of XAG Agricultural Drones on winter barley fields near the village of Velyka Oleksandrivka, Kyiv region.  The test showed that one XAG drone, when equipped with atomised sprayers and a 20L smart liquid tank, could operate at an efficiency of over 16 hectares per hour. The result was confirmed by the Ukrainian Club of Agriculture Business (UCAB), setting a record high spraying performance of drones on the real world of farm work in Ukraine. In particular, one operator, along with two outside observers, controlled three XAG Agricultural Drones to apply crop protection products on the swarm flight mode. 43 hectares of barley were treated fully autonomously by this small fleet of drones in 53 minutes. They are more precise and flexible than the large trailed and self-propelled tractors, which means that drones can get into hard-to-reach areas, reduce the use of pesticides and avoid mechanical damage on crops. Operator switched battery and liquid tankThe demonstration greatly changes the perception or attitude of people in Ukraine towards agricultural drones now as an innovative and promising sprayer equipment. “I have never evaluated drone as an industrial tool for spraying. But after this test which shows strong productivity, the introduction of agricultural drones has been hugely rationalised,” said by Volodymyr Kravtsov, Operational Director of Agro-Region. Under the intensive farming model, many Ukrainian farmers and agribusinesses still rely on outdated farm machinery that has restricted the potential of production and export. However, there is a prospect of boom in agricultural automation technologies for Ukraine, which sets out to become a worldwide breadbasket. According to International Trade Administration, the operational need for agricultural machinery and equipment of Ukraine is estimated at $20 billion by 2025. Autonomous drone spraying operations for winter barley Through better equipping the agricultural sector and closing the yield gap, XAG autonomous technologies that feature drones and robots could bring a new round of transformation. The rich black soil of Ukraine, which accounts for 25% of the global reserve, nourishes the world’s major grain crops such as corn, barley and wheat.  According to its Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, Ukraine has ranked second among the world’s grain exporter in 2020 with an overall grain exports amounted to 55.09 million tons. As the main contributor to global food security, Ukraine is witnessing a huge potential of grain production to be furthered explored. Scale-up for smallholders and young blood In 2020, the Ukrainian Government has adopted a new land reform law that puts an end to the moratorium on the sale of arable land. Over the past twenty years, farmers and agricultural businesses can only grow crops depending on land leases. But starting in July 2021, agricultural land will be available for sale to Ukrainian citizens. This will encourage farmers to increase their grain planting areas and invest in innovative agricultural machinery and infrastructure.  Bringing young people back to agricultureWhile Ukraine is about to embrace the opening of the land market, both financing policy and education program are also implemented to scale up the use of drones in agriculture. Under the support of DroneUA, XAG drones become the first agricultural drone that can be leased with full insurance coverage in Ukraine. It makes drones more affordable to smallholders who can now gain access to new technology. Smallholders generate nearly 45% of the country’s gross agricultural output, undoubtedly being the backbone of adequate food supply.  In addition, as autonomous farms are just over the horizon, XAG is expected to see a new influx of young people who would manage the fields with these smart devices. According to Valerii Iakovenko, Co-founder of DroneUA, in his partnership with the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NULES), new courses on unmanned spraying solutions will be introduced to teach bachelor students the use of XAG Agricultural Drone. The aim is to train young talents for the next generation farming. Following a series of successful demonstrations, XAG’s autonomous drones have been available across major dealers in Ukraine and gain momentum to empower more farmers. As Ukraine being one of the major global markets, XAG will keep working with local businesses and government to improve its agricultural productivity for the Zero Hunger Goal.

When purchasing XAG products, please consult XAG directly or our authorized dealers and stay clear of the “gray market”, a place at which a third party (individual or organization) introduces and sells XAG products without having obtained authorization from XAG. Not only may these products not meet local specifications or comply with local standards and regulations, which would pose potential risks for the end-user, but they also may not contain the right parts for your region.  When purchasing XAG products from unauthorized dealers, we are afraid that you may not be able to receive qualified service and support from XAG or our authorized dealers. Without care and coverage offered by neither of the above, you may be at a great risk and even a loss for what to do when a faceless seller declines to rectify the problem with your product.  Furthermore, XAG highly recommends that you purchase products from and only from local authorized dealers for your benefit, as an authorized dealer merely shall be liable for the products sold, including but not limited to the coverage of after-sale services for the region authorized.You can view our authorized dealers by accessing our official website at https://www.xa.com/en/about/agent.Buying legitimately is the only way we can ensure you a safe and enjoyable journey with us.

As Australia has long been troubled by the threat of invasive weeds, XAG Agricultural Drone recently steps in a land care program to curb the spread of the exotic weed - African Lovegrass.  Since March 2021, trials are conducted to examine the effectiveness of drones on precision spraying and revegetation. Australia is now witnessing the popularity of XAG drones on farms and grazing lands, with the aim to relieve the economic and environmental loss inflicted by weeds. While climate change and herbicide resistance might contribute to rampant growth of weeds, the traditional tools of managing weeds are starting to fail and even cause harm to earth.XAG Agricultural Drone seeded the degraded pasture New Hope of Beating Invasive Plants African Lovegrass (ALG) is one of the invasive weed species originated from South Africa and introduced to Australia in the 20th century. They can rapidly take over a pasture and render the land worthless by wiping out native plants and animals. The invasion of lovegrass not only degrades the natural ecosystem, but also threatens the livelihood of farmers because livestock cannot survive without palatable grasses to eat. Controlling these competitive weeds remains a top challenge for Australia. This March, XAG Australia has established partnership on an African Lovegrass (ALG) control program with the Australian registered charity Upper Snowy Landcare. A fleet of XAG Agricultural Drones were deployed to provide innovative solution on spraying the weeds with better precision and seeding the ALG-infested pasture in inaccessible areas. The project aims to leverage autonomous robots to minimise the use of herbicide, as well as restoring a healthy landscape against the regrowth of ALG.XAG drone pilot demonstrated the use of drones Three trial sites, heavily invaded by ALG, have been set up in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. Drone pilots from XAG mapped the fields on the smartphone with a remote sensing drone to identify all patches of ALG. At the first site, XAG agricultural drones loaded with herbicides were used to selectively spray isolated patches of African Lovegrass. The second site were treated by drones spraying between rows of tree plantation to remove weeds that would otherwise compete for water and nutrients. At the third site where ALG was mechanically scalped, drones fitted with a special broadcast attachment evenly spread native grass seeds and shrubs to revegetate the bare ground. This helps to establish healthy pastures and further suppress the regrowth of hardy weeds. “These trials demonstrate how drones can be used in difficult, inaccessible areas where traditional vehicles or helicopters are not suited,” said Margaret Mckinnon, Chair of Upper Snowy Network. Previously, farmers heavily rely on boom sprayers to apply herbicides over a large area. This has led to chemical overuse and the development of herbicide-resistant weeds.Agricultural drone took off for autonomous operation Drone could be a safe, cost-effective, and sustainable method of weed control to reduce the negative impacts of yield loss and land degradation. In trials with African Lovegrass, XAG’s agricultural drones carried a 16L liquid tank and flew very low to accurately spray the selected target area in appropriate dose. Only patches infested with lovegrass were sprayed to greatly cut down the use of herbicides.   Outcomes would be measured in terms of ALG regrowth and vegetation recovery rates with on-ground surveys over the ensuing six months. Robots Come to Farmers’ Rescue In Australia, weed is the most economically destructive type of invasive species. In addition to causing biodiversity loss, it has wreaked havoc on grain crops and posed major risks to food security. According to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, the annual cost of weeds incurred by the agricultural industry is estimated at $4 billion. New technologies such as autonomous drones and AI are expected to enhance the country’s capacity to manage weeds cheaper and more effectively. With the enforcement of Australian Weeds Strategy 2017-2027, it has become a strategic priority to seek for innovative solutions to reduce the detrimental impacts of weeds. XAG Unmanned Ground Vehicle and drones on field trips  Since 2013, XAG has been promoting the use of drones in agriculture to help farmers manage their fields with less manual labour. Its Australian team has dived deep to test the accuracy of drones on spraying weeds, as the recklessness of using herbicides sprayed by a boom brings up national concerns.  Herbicide is the most commonly used effective way for controlling weeds. But the incident of spray drift, also referred to off-target hazard, could happen when applying chemicals onto the weeds. This would contaminate the neighbouring crops and put native plants and animals at risks of poison.  The selection of equipment matters when it comes to reducing spray drift. The autonomous drones developed by XAG has demonstrated its ability to follow predetermined flight route and precisely spray weeds on the target. Compared with ground vehicle and helicopter, drone is a much more lightweight, sophisticated type of robot for killing weeds without crops being damaged. As the benefits of this versatile flying robot unfolded, more and more Australian farmers are embracing new technology for their pasture and grain fields. Agricultural drone is making its way as a sustainable approach to counter the increasing threat from weeds.