Farm drones work in a field in Zhejiang. [Photo by Fang Xiaoying/chinadaily.com.cn]

XAG Co Ltd, China's largest agricultural drone maker, set up Zhejiang's first directly-operated service station in Hangzhou on March 10, providing farmers with a series of intelligent agricultural machinery maintenance, repair, and training services to ensure the machine's regular operation.

With the development and popularization of agricultural machinery, the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting in Zhejiang has reached 71.8 percent.

Statistics show that the operational efficiency of farm drones is dozens of times higher than manual labor as the drones have been widely used for spraying pesticides, sprinkling fertilizers and sowing seeds.

Ma Xinnyu operates a farm drone. [Photo by Fang Xiaoying/chinadaily.com.cn]

Ma Xinnyu, who graduated from university several years ago, decided to get involved in agricultural work with her parents, who are farmers, and has so far purchased two agricultural drones and one tractor with support from the local government.

"Compared with traditional methods, digital agriculture is more efficient and accurate. A girl like me can irrigate 300 mu (20 hectares) of farmland," said Ma, who now runs more than 1,000 mu of land in her village, growing green onions, vegetables, rice and wheat.

Guo Shaowu, Zhejiang regional manager of XAG, said that 1,000 mu a day was possible with the help of XAG's farming drones for skilled people who can operate the machine efficiently.

"XAG has carried out scientific research cooperation with some crop science companies and research institutions such as Harper Adams University to explore the development of precision agriculture based on drone technology and cultivate innovative talent in agricultural science and technology," said Justin Gong, co-founder of XAG.

Gong added that XAG has introduced unmanned agricultural equipment into foreign rural communities, making farm management easier and improving productivity through the global network in 42 countries and regions.