Launching Drones for ‘Yeongju Agricultural Competitiveness’... Full-Scale Promotion of Unmanned Aerial Pest Control

This Year, 763 Farms Cultivate 2,161ha of Paddy Fields and 68ha of Dry Fields, Totaling 2,229ha

Drone, unmanned aerial pest control boosting 'Yeongju City's agricultural competitiveness'.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Yeongju City, Gyeongbuk Province, is enhancing agricultural competitiveness through an unmanned aerial pesticide spraying project using drones to address difficulties in pest control caused by rural population decline and aging.

According to the city, the drone spraying project began as a pilot in 2019 targeting rice farming (728 hectares), and due to strong support from local farmers, it has been expanded to include field crops since 2020, with the number of participating farms increasing annually.

This year, 763 farms applied for the project, which is managed by Yeongju Nonghyup and Anjeong Nonghyup, and pesticide spraying will be expanded to cover a total of 2,229 hectares, including 2,161 hectares of rice fields and 68 hectares of field crops.

The total project cost this year is approximately 450 million KRW, with 33% funded by the city, 17% by Nonghyup, and 50% borne by the farms.

The unit price per 10a (300 pyeong), including pesticide and spraying costs, is 20,000 KRW for rice and 20,000 to 30,000 KRW for field crops, varying by crop type, and farms only need to cover 50% of the cost to receive spraying services.

The city expects that drone spraying will help alleviate labor shortages in rural areas and enable rapid response to pest outbreaks over large areas, thereby reducing farmers' management costs and contributing to farmers' convenience and health improvement.

Jang Seong-wook, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “To maintain a sustainable agricultural production base, it is essential to disseminate various advanced agricultural technologies and perform efficient farming operations using cutting-edge equipment. Through active dissemination of advanced technologies, we will replace the insufficient labor force, reduce production costs, enhance competitiveness in the agricultural sector, and contribute to building a ‘wealthy rural community.’”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.