Chinese agricultural technology and drone maker XAG is making a concerted push into the Ukrainian market for agtech. Ukraine has recently become the world’s second largest grain exporter, and the country applies soft regulation to spray drones, making it, according to XAG, the most favourable market in Europe.

In April, XAG drones recorded the highest level of spray drone performance in Ukraine.

XAG has collaborated with Ukrainian firm DroneUA to distribute its agricultural drones and robots that can sow seeds, spray crops, and spread fertilisers. XAG anticipates that this will tap the under-equipped agricultural sector of Ukraine.

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 spraying performance of drones on real world 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. 

Drones are more precise and flexible than 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.

According to XAG, the demonstration has changed perceptions of agricultural drones in Ukraine, producing more positive opinions of the technology.

“I have never evaluated drones as an industrial tool for spraying. But after this test, which has shown major productivity, it greatly justifies the introduction of agricultural drones,” said Volodymyr Kravtsov, Operational Director of Agro-Region.

Under the intensive farming model, many Ukrainian farmers and agribusinesses still rely on outdated farm machinery that restrict the potential of production and export. 

However, there is a prospect of a boom in agricultural automation technologies in Ukraine. According to the International Trade Administration, the operational need for agricultural machinery and equipment of Ukraine is estimated at $20 billion by 2025.

In 2020, the Ukrainian Government adopted a new land reform law that puts an end to the moratorium on the sale of arable land. Starting in July 2021, agricultural land will be available for sale to Ukrainian citizens. This is anticipated to encourage farmers to increase their grain planting areas and invest in innovative agricultural machinery and infrastructure.