"I have trudged in the dirt my whole life, and I have never seen anything like this," Liu Xinzhu, a 60-year-old farmer told Xinhua. Liu's son had found a job in city, and his wife is not healthy enough for labour intensive work. Liu Xinzhu, a scientist with the Ministry of Agriculture, said the drones' operating cost were significantly lower than hiring farm labour. Spraying his one hectare orchard by drones cost more than 1,000 yuan (RM631) less than a farm worker, Liu said. Some government experts believe that the market potential for agricultural drones on the mainland could reach 100 billion yuan (RM63.1bil) per year.

Source: The Star April 27, 2017 10:18 UTC