12 FEATURE @ AGROBiz | May-June. 2025
12 FEATURE @ AGROBiz | May-June. 2025
DRONE AT WORK: Drone automation, like this mid-flight sprayer, helps reduce waste and boosts efficiency on farms across Malaysia.
Flying smarter, farming better
� Drone automation is enhancing Malaysia’ s food security and promoting agricultural sustainability.
� MDEC acts as a national validator, ensuring solutions are practical and inclusive for all farmers.
� Over 500 farmers have adopted drone technology through MDEC’ s AgTech programme, primarily young people under the age of 40
BY ADELINE ANTHONY ALPHONSO
ACROSS Malaysia, farming practices are changing. Quietly and steadily, drones have become an integral part of Malaysia’ s farming landscape, flying over paddy fields, fruit orchards, and palm oil estates to help farmers monitor crops, apply fertiliser, and control pests with greater precision.
While the idea of drones isn’ t exactly new, the way they’ re being used has evolved. They’ re no longer a novelty or a showpiece for large estates.
Instead, they’ re increasingly seen as a practical tool— especially for younger farmers looking for ways to improve efficiency and reduce dependency.
According to Digital Agriculture Technology( AgTech) Head Navin Sinnathamby at the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation( MDEC), these aerial tools aren’ t just gadgets— they’ re solving real problems that farmers face every day.
“ This transition goes beyond simple mechanisation. It signifies a meaningful shift toward more data-driven, informed decision-making in agriculture,” said Navin.
WHAT DRONES ARE DOING TODAY
The use of drones in agriculture is already well-established in several areas. Among the key applications:
• Precision spraying: applying pesticides or fertilisers exactly where needed, avoiding overuse
• 3D mapping: helping farmers plan layouts, measure acreage, or manage boundaries
• Pest monitoring: early detection using infrared and multispectral imaging
• Soil and crop health monitoring: tracking plant stress and soil moisture levels in real-time
These tools are invaluable in sectors such as paddy farming, where large areas need to be managed efficiently, and in durian or oil palm plantations, where ground inspections are time-consuming and labour-intensive.
GROUND EXAMPLES
One clear example is the use of drones at Selangor Fruit Valley( SFV), a State-