Ukrainian company wins agriculture drones award by XAG

XAG's Global Best Contribution Award 2021 for official distributors was won by a Ukrainian company, DroneUA.

The founder of DroneUA Valery Yakovenko marked that this was the first award by XAG, in which all the international markets of the Chinese brand — the leader in agricultural machinery production — participate.

"We got this award, and honestly, this award is not only for DroneUA but also for the entire Ukrainian agricultural sector. In 2021, I thought Ukraine was setting the trend in the development of agricultural technology for all of Europe but in fact, we are impacting the whole world," stated Valery Yakovenko.

The market in Ukraine has become the one with the fastest growth rate and the highest level of drone technology deployment worldwide, he says, outperforming even such countries as:

• Brazil
• Mexico
• Vietnam
• Indonesia
• Thailand

"Various factors have made such progress possible, with one of the main ones being the market's openness to innovation, advanced technology and the promptness of decision-making at the agricultural producers' level," he added.

In 2021, the market for XAG drones in Ukraine expanded by up to 60%. Valery Yakovenko explains this by its ecosystem, quality of equipment and focus on agricultural producers. According to him, the use of XAG drone technology in some test fields in Ukraine proved that it is possible to produce up to 10% higher yields in sunflower.

Valery Yakovenko noted that the rapid development of technology was also conditioned by climate change. Agricultural drones operate at night and in excessively humid soil conditions when heavy machinery cannot enter the field. The use of drones can reduce the use of chemicals by 30% and water by 95%, which is critical in regions with an arid climate.

"The drone market in agriculture of the future is not a market for flying devices, but a whole system of robotics, enabling autonomous and efficient farming, where the struggle is not only for high efficiency and productivity but also for reducing the human factor and intensification of the robotization of processes," said the head of the company DroneUA.

The winner of the gold award of the Agritechnica Innovation Awards, NEXAT carrier vehicle, was tested in Ukraine.