Guiyang pioneers drone watermelon transport

Farmers load freshly harvested watermelons into woven baskets, which are then airlifted by drones and delivered to roadside collection points. [Photo/WeChat account of Zhizhi Guiyang]

The watermelon planting base in Maling village, Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has adopted drone transportation instead of traditional human or tricycle transportation.

Due to the mountains in this area, the efficiency of watermelon transportation was low, resulting in high losses in previous years. However, with help from the Huaxi bureau of agriculture and rural affairs and the Maling township government, local enterprises have been introduced to drone transportation, reducing costs by more than 60 percent.

The transportation cost per kilogram has decreased from 0.4 yuan ($0.06) to 0.1 yuan, with the fruit cracking rate also reducing from 15 percent to below 3 percent.

Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area have also held drone training courses, promoting the intelligentization of mountain agriculture, increasing farmers' income, and helping rural vitalization.

Integrating the low-altitude economy and mountain agriculture addresses transportation challenges and revitalizes the production chain. Drones can adapt to complex terrains and perform tasks such as seed sowing, pesticide spraying, fruit harvesting, and transportation of agricultural materials, promoting the export of Guizhou's agricultural products.