Muan-gun Expands Distribution of New Technology for Direct Rice Seeding Using Drones

Support of 30 Drones to Reduce Agricultural Labor and Rice Production Costs

Muan County held a drone-assisted aerial direct seeding demonstration for rice. (Photo by Muan County)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Muan County, Jeonnam (Governor Kim San) announced on the 1st that on the 29th of last month, it held a demonstration event to expand drone-utilized direct seeding rice cultivation in Mangwol-ri, Illo-eup, attended by more than 60 people including agricultural officials and farmers.

Drone-utilized direct seeding rice cultivation is characterized by the absence of the seedling raising process in seedbeds required for conventional rice farming. After plowing and leveling the field, rice seeds are directly sown into the paddy, eliminating the initial herbicide application process.

Until now, direct seeding cultivation had been slow to expand due to difficulties in controlling weedy rice, complex management compared to machine transplanting, and perceptions of lower yield and quality at harvest. However, using drones for direct seeding reduces production costs by up to 1.2 million KRW per hectare compared to machine transplanting and cuts working time to one-sixth.

Accordingly, the county supported 30 agricultural drones to address labor shortages and expand labor-saving in farming by utilizing drones for major agricultural tasks such as fertilization and pest control.

A farmer who attended the demonstration said, "Seeing the direct seeding process using agricultural drones in practice, it seems that a lot of time and effort will be saved," and added, "We expect an increase in income due to reduced management costs."

A Muan County official stated, "Reducing labor is an essential task in rural areas with an aging population, so drone-utilized technology will be key," and added, "We will actively promote not only drones but also various new technologies to help reduce labor."