Indonesian farmers have been given a helping hand from the air as Chinese drone technology has made farming practices safer and more efficient, while encouraging more young Indonesians to build their futures in the agriculture sector.
Known as the 'Land of a Thousand Islands', Indonesia is one of Southeast Asia's major rice producers. Yet its rice paddies are often waterlogged, making farming a real challenge.
However, the arrival of new technology in the form of unmanned aerial vehicles is offering a game-changing solution to overcome these difficulties, and revolutionizing how farmers approach their work.
"The first time I flew a drone, the technology amazed me," said Arief Kusprastyo, a young agricultural drone pilot.
Although Kusprastyo comes from a farming family stretching back three generations, he initially had little interest in following his ancestors into the agriculture business.
Like many young people, he used to think traditional farming was too tiring and even a boring pursuit. However, seeing these high-tech drones in action completely changed his mind.
"My perspective has completely changed. With high-tech equipment, farming has become much easier and more enjoyable," said Kusprastyo.
From seeding to crop protection, to tackling the problems of pesticides and providing efficient monitoring from above, advanced Chinese drone technology is helping ease the load for Indonesian farmers, while inspiring more and more young people like Kusprastyo to find a future in the agriculture field.
China -- which operates the world's largest fleet of agricultural drones, with more than 300,000 covering over 30 million hectares of farmland every year -- has been stepping up exports of its high-tech agricultural devices in recent times.
In the first half of this year, China's agricultural drone exports surpassed 4 billion yuan (nearly 600 million U.S. dollars), with strong growth across the Southeast Asia region.
Indonesian farmers given helping hand from above as Chinese drones transform traditional agriculture
