Over the past decade, smart agriculture has become the mainstream direction in the process of modernizing farming in Vietnam. The application of unmanned aerial vehicles to spray pesticides is the clearest proof of this process. UAV technology helps increase productivity, reduce health risks and optimize the amount of pesticides. Therefore, the question of “should I invest in a pesticide spraying aircraft” is becoming a top concern of farmers and cooperatives.
The demand for agricultural drones is booming in areas specializing in rice, coffee and pepper. Models such as DJI T30, T40 or XAG P100 allow spraying 30-40 times faster than manual labor. This makes the return on investment rate only 1-2 seasons, increasing the attractiveness of investing in drones.
Three factors driving the investment trend include:
These reasons show that investing in pesticide spraying aircraft is not only a trend but also an inevitable direction in modern agriculture.
The price of pesticide spraying aircraft currently ranges from 150-350 million VND depending on capacity and brand. In addition to the body, users need to invest in batteries, chargers, tanks, controllers, and obstacle avoidance radars. The total initial cost accounts for 70-80% of the total investment capital.
Operators need to be thoroughly trained in UAV control, maintenance, and flight safety. UAV control certification courses range from 3-5 million VND/person. This is a small but mandatory investment to ensure the legality and safety of operating agricultural spraying aircraft.
Each battery has a life of about 300–400 charges. After one year, the cost of replacing the battery, pump, and propeller accounts for 8–12% of the machine's value. Regular maintenance helps maintain spraying performance, especially when used continuously in hot and humid tropical conditions.
Many people, when calculating the investment efficiency of spraying aircraft, often overlook insurance, transportation, or loss during the testing phase. A complete synthesis helps to give a more realistic ROI (Return on Investment) figure.
According to statistics, a DJI T40 crop spraying drone can cover an average of 12–16 hectares per day, which is 30 times faster than manual spraying. This data serves as a key foundation for evaluating the investment efficiency of crop spraying drones, enabling accurate calculations of labor productivity and cost per hectare.
Basic formula:
Payback period = Total investment cost / Net profit per crop season.
Example:
If the total investment cost is 250 million VND and the net profit per season is 125 million VND → the payback period is 2 seasons.
From this, users can easily determine whether investing in a crop spraying drone is financially viable within the first year.
|
Criteria |
Manual Spraying |
UAV Spraying |
|---|---|---|
|
Area covered per day |
0.5 – 1 ha |
12 – 16 ha |
|
Chemical loss rate |
20–30% |
<5% |
|
Labor required |
3–5 people |
1 person |
|
Spray uniformity |
Low |
High |
The results show that investing in UAV spraying technology increases spraying efficiency by 10–15 times while significantly reducing operating costs.
ROI (%) = (Total profit – Total investment cost) / Total investment cost × 100.
If ROI ≥ 40% after one year, the investment is considered feasible.
This is a widely used indicator among agricultural analysts to evaluate the real profitability of drone investments.
For large-scale crops such as rice or corn, crop spraying drones can operate at maximum efficiency. In contrast, small gardens with limited acreage make it harder to optimize investment costs.
Farms with existing technical teams or those belonging to mechanized cooperatives can utilize drones more efficiently, while small individual households should consider hiring UAV spraying services to minimize initial costs.
Technologies such as GPS RTK, obstacle avoidance radar, and terrain-following sensors help ensure accurate spraying and pesticide savings. Models like the DJI T40 and T50 are highly rated for their stability and reduced operational risks.
Strong winds, rain, or uneven terrain can affect spraying performance. Conducting a field survey before investment helps estimate the real operational efficiency of UAVs accurately.
A single agricultural spraying drone can replace 10–15 manual laborers. Each season, farmers can save 20–40 million VND in labor costs.
Using UAV spraying technology reduces direct pesticide exposure by 90%, protecting farmers’ health while minimizing environmental pollution.
High-precision RTK positioning enables drones to follow flight paths accurately, minimize overlap, and save 15–20% of chemicals per crop cycle.
Modern drone models integrate spray data analysis applications, allowing users to record parameters, automatically calculate productivity, and plan subsequent crops more effectively.
If the average cost of hiring UAV spraying services is 180,000–250,000 VND per hectare, annual expenses can exceed 100 million VND for 50 hectares. In contrast, investing in your own drone can reduce fixed costs after 2–3 crop seasons.
Owning a UAV allows farmers to schedule spraying independently and avoid dependency on external contractors, especially during pest outbreaks.
Agricultural cooperatives, agribusinesses, or farms larger than 30 hectares should invest in their own drones to gain cost advantages through economies of scale.
Small farms (less than 10 hectares) should opt for UAV spraying services. This approach saves capital investment while maintaining high-quality results through professional teams.
In An Giang, adopting the DJI T40 reduced pesticide costs by 25% and increased rice yield by 10%. The ROI exceeded 45% after just two crop seasons.
Farms in Dak Lak reported an average spraying productivity of 14 hectares per day, saving over 30% in labor compared to traditional methods.
A cooperative in Gia Lai invested in two T50 drones and achieved full payback within 14 months, with post-depreciation profits of 60–80 million VND per drone per year.
Key success factors include purchasing genuine drones, performing regular maintenance, and providing thorough operator training.
Empirical data shows that crop spraying drones deliver strong economic performance-reducing costs by 20–40%, increasing productivity by 10–20%, accelerating payback, and supporting sustainable farm expansion.
Prioritize authorized distributors such as DJI Dai Loi or XAG Vietnam, which offer official warranties, professional operation training, and full lifecycle technical support.
Investing in agricultural drones is only truly effective when users understand the costs, farm scale, and operation technology. Calculating ROI accurately helps make sound investment decisions, optimize capital, and ensure sustainable long-term profitability.
Yes, but smallholders should rent UAV spraying services instead of purchasing their own drones. This reduces initial capital while still benefiting from automated spraying technology.
The average payback period is 1–2 crop seasons, depending on the drone model, farm size, and local service rates. Larger farms can achieve faster ROI.
Yes. Drone operators must register their UAVs and obtain agricultural operation certificates as regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.
Yes. Modern UAVs can spray rice, coffee, pepper, rubber, sugarcane, cashew, and various fruit trees. Operators simply adjust flight speed and spray volume for each crop type.
Batteries should be replaced after 300–400 charge cycles. Regular maintenance every six months is recommended-checking pumps, propellers, obstacle radars, and control software to maintain stability and performance.
