Cambodian farmers mull agricultural drones to boost cassava productivity 

Broadly grown on 600,000 hectares of farmland in the country, cassava cultivation provides employment to thousands of rural workers in Cambodia. But cultivating a crop that can grow higher than one meter, and sometimes even surpass the average height of farmers, is not the easiest thing to do. So now, to meet the growing demand for cassava-based products such as food, flour, paper, and alcohol, farmers are looking at agricultural drones that bring with them the promise of increased productivity.

Chhay Thi, who owns 20 hectares of land in Varin District, Siem Reap Province of Cambodia, is an early adopter of spray drones. Last month, he used a XAG agricultural drone for autonomous weeding on his 10-hectare cassava field.

The drone flew over ridges of cassava plants, sprayed precisely along the pre-set route, and finished 8 hectares of herbicide spraying in an hour without any operator intervention. Chhay says the same amount of work would have more than a week…