6 May 2022, Dong Thap, Vietnam - As the monsoon season starts with ample rainfalls, XAG is actively scaling up the use of its agricultural drones in Vietnam to make rice production more sustainable. Faced with the soaring prices of agricultural inputs, Vietnamese farmers can now employ drones from XAG to grow more rice using fewer resources. From direct seeding, pesticide spraying to fertilizer application, XAG's agricultural drones have seen its increasing popularity among rural youth who are keen to earn a decent salary as drone pilot.Vietnam is the world's second largest exporter of rice, which is also the staple food consumed by 90% of the total population and the main source of income for millions of small-scale farmers. More than 50% of the country's rice is cultivated in the Mekong Delta region, known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam that produces three crops per year. However, the surge in fertilizer and pesticide prices, as a result of global supply chain disruption, has urged Vietnamese farmers to cut back crop nutrients and chemical essential to boosting rice yields.Agricultural drone has become a reliable tool for Vietnamese farmers to boost rice yieldsEase the rising cost strain on farmersAcross the rice fields of Mekong Delta, XAG has been working with local service teams to help rice farmers use resources more effectively and fight the rising costs. Drones designed for agricultural use can reduce seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers without affecting crop yields through precise, effortless operation. According to XAG's local distributor DigiDrone, compared with traditional farming, agricultural drone can spray crops 4 times faster than manual labor while improving yield by 14%.The Mekong Delta becomes the major battlefield to adopt new technology and shift away from intensive rice farming. In Dong Thap province, XAG P40 agricultural drone was used to spread lime on a 40-day paddy field to treat bacterial disease and provide calcium nutrients for rice plants. In addition to pesticide application, broadcasting of granule fertilizer and crop nutrient is another primary scenario of drones. XAG P40 is spraying lime powder to the rice paddy to treat diseaseDuring the operation, the young pilot controlled the drone with a smartphone and preset parameters including flight speed, height, lime volume and spreading width to fulfill automation. As the XAG drone carried a 25-liter container and the spreading system RevoCast, the lime powder was spread evenly and accurately on the 1.5-hectare rice paddy. The strong wind force of the drone helped lime in contact with the rice plant from top to bottom, saving 30% lime powder and enabling better absorption by the crops.Maintain good yield with less effort An agricultural demonstration was also held in Dong Thap to compare the results of manual sowing and direct seeding by drone. Farmers used to work all day bending over, ankle deep in the mud to transplant seedlings, but now rice seeds can be sown directly into the flooded fields, which requires less labor and saves time. Flying autonomously on the pre-programmed route, the XAG P40 agricultural drone could distribute rice seeds uniformly into the designated area. The performance of drone seeding was as smooth as manual operation to help farmers achieve optimal plant density. It is reported that one hectare of rice crops was sown in two hours with 160 kilograms of seeds that had nearly 100% germination. As the winter-spring season came to an end in April, this rice paddy had reaped an actual harvest of 8 metric tons per hectare while saving seeds by 35%.  Nguyen is a rice farmer in his 40s who lives in the Mekong Delta region and grows a rice field of 4 hectares. He uses XAG's agricultural drone for the first time this year to sow seeds, spray pesticides and spread fertilizer, becoming an early adopter of drone technology in Vietnam's farming industry. Over the past years, Nguyen had to carry a heavy backpack spreader or an old-fashioned hand sprayer, which was not only inefficient but also increased the risk of exposure to chemical.Nguyen, a farmer, is quite satisfied with the drone for seeding because of its efficiency"Traditionally I could only spray an area of 5 hectares in a day, but now with the help of XAG's farming drone, 30 hectares of rice fields can be precisely treated without lots of effort," said by Nguyen. When applying fertilizer to boost rice growth, the drone can also help Nguyen halve the amount of fertilizer and spread at an efficiency of 10 hectares in a single day. The same area of fertilizing operation would take farm workers several days to complete manually. As an increasing number of farmers realize the benefits of drone, this new technology will soon scale up in Vietnam to boost the resilience of smallholders against climate change and market fluctuation. To serve the growing crop protection demand on a larger scale, XAG will be ready to release a new model of agricultural drone for the Vietnamese market that features larger payload capacity.

XAG R150 in the apple orchards (Source: Timber)Located in Northeast corner of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Vacaria is a city known in Brazil for its oceanic climate and the large production of apples. This February, as fruit farmers in Vacaria prepared for their long-expected harvest, they are welcoming a special guest, the XAG R150 Unmanned Ground Vehicle, which has demonstrated its power of precision in the apple orchards.The Apple Challenge Arises According to the Gaucho Association of Apple Producers (Agapomi) in Rio Grande do Sul, 88% of the state’s apple output and 37% of the country’s total production were concentrated in the vicinity of Vacaria. The natural benefit of breeding temperate fruit crops has made RASIP, one of the largest apple producing companies in Brazil, to set their 400-hectare plantation here to grow Gala and Fuji, the two cultivars of apple with excellent quality that meet the most demanding markets. One of the local apple orchards of RASIP. (Source: RASIP) In early 2022, RASIP embraced a satisfying harvest in their vast apple orchard. However, due to the capricious weather bringing drought and hail to the blossom season, a trend of production decline in the Fuji variety has been spotted among the region.  The Plantation owners also have to pay for the inflation price of fertilizers that are necessary to maintain high-quality apple produce. The dwindling crop yield and rising input costs have made a bumper harvest much more challenging in the coming years.  XAG R150 conducted spraying in an apple plantation in Vacaria, the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. (Source: Timber) Plan For the Future of Apple  With the aim to seek a more resilient farming solution against climate change and soaring fertilizer prices, RASIP invited Timber, XAG’s local partner in Brazil, and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) to get XAG R150 involved for the first time in an apple tree spraying demonstration. Water sensitive papers were placed among the apple trees to record the spray effect. After the operator carefully planned the route and played with a few clicks on the controller, the XAG R150 started moving autonomously along rows of apple trees. Equipped with the JetSprayer system, the XAG R150 could deliver atomized liquid with adjustable spray angle right onto the target tree branches, leaving a standard even coverage of blue marks on the water sensitive papers. The water sensitive papers reveal uniform spray effect of XAG R150. (source: Timber) Over the next months, RASIP is planning a further collaboration with Timber to develop more on-farm applications of the XAG R150 Unmanned Ground Vehicle. “After examining the spray result, we found that the XAG R150 is at an advantage in making crop protection easier for our newly introduced dwarfed-apple cultivar. We are excited to see our most popular apples will grow under the care of precision farming technology,” said Webber, the representative of RASIP. 

Nowadays, the development of agriculture industry in Japan is heading toward automation and connectivity. Drones and robots are among one of the important forces driving this transformation.As Japanese farmers open their arms to welcome digital technologies, the XAG R150 Unmanned Ground Vehicle can be seen nationwide in Japan and becomes a reliable partner in orchards. From apple, pear, citrus, grapes, to banana, the all-electric and autonomous R150 farm robot has gained recognition from more farmers through a series of field demonstrations, showing the potential to tackle rural aging and labour shortage for incoming spring farming season. Facilitating Pear Tree Cultivation  Tottori Prefecture in Western Japan is well-known domestically for the nickname of "Cradle of Pears". It abounds with the high-quality 20th Century Asian Pear and contributes the highest output in Japan. When the demo tour of the XAG R150 landed in Tottori Prefecture, pear growers flocked to witness the spraying operation carried out by XAG Japan. They are highly impressed by the high-precision atomised spraying delivered by the XAG R150, looking forward to taking this intelligent helper home and apply to their own plantation as soon as possible. Citrus Caretaker in Mountain   "Sudachi Citrus" is a small, round, green citrus fruit of Japanese origin that is a specialty of Tokushima Prefecture. 80% of the topography in Tokushima is mountainous and farmers have to cultivate fruit trees on steep slopes. However, large ground machine can hardly access these areas, making fruit trees management extremely tiring, troublesome, and labour dependent. With the capacity to traverse various terrains, the XAG R150 brings a turning point to Tokushima's citrus farmers. From spraying crops to delivering agricultural material, the XAG R150 can match farmers’ demand of raising citrus production more efficiently with less pesticide.  Safer Alternative to Spray Under Grapevines  In Okayama Prefecture, grapevines are arranged and arrayed on overhead trellis to make grapes harvest easier. But under low shelves, farmers must bend over and walk under the trellis to manage crops and pick up the ripe juicy grapes. This can affect the health of farm workers who can easily develop back pain.  And now, vineyard managers in Okayama are embracing the participation of the XAG R150 as a safer alternative to grapevine management on farm. This nimble robot can move autonomously beneath the grapevines with ease along the planning route. Then it sprays chemicals bottom-up to grapevines on the trellis, turning the crop care tasks much easier and safer compared with the traditional ways. The Eye-opener to Young Banana Growers   The subtropical location makes Okinawa one of the few areas in Japan where bananas are produced. Different from many regions in Japan, people working for agriculture in Okinawa are mostly young farmers, who are interested in leveraging new technologies to improve yields and quality of bananas in a more sustainable way.  After watching the spraying demonstration of XAG R150 in a banana plantation, these young banana farmers expressed recognition on the precision spraying results. Some of them have already added this unmanned farm robot into their wish list as an eco-friendly and efficient farming tool.