As a major agricultural country in Southeast Asia and a global producer of natural rubber, Thailand is now seeking to transform its pillar sector with help from China's smart farming technology. (Video)

In Danmakamtia, a village in Kanchanaburi Province, 50-year-old Somboon Songwainiaw is one of the 30 pioneers benefiting from the technological shift, specifically an autopilot steering system developed by Huida Tech, a Chinese company specializing in smart farming solutions.

Somboon owns more than 22 hectares of farmland, mainly cultivating sugarcane, tomato and cassava. For the past six months, two of his tractors have been equipped with the smart steering system.

Guided by satellite navigation and equipped with sensors, the system allows tractors to operate autonomously along predefined routes tailored to specific crops and varying field conditions. It achieves a field accuracy of 1.5 centimeters.

"Farm work is highly dependent on seasons and weather," Somboon said. "During the harvest or planting season, bigger farms usually suffer from the shortage of hands, and hiring workers can be expensive. For plowing, it costs around 1,600 baht ($47) per rai (1,600 square meters)."

The introduction of the autopilot steering system has helped him cut costs to 200 baht per rai.

The system features an autopilot system for precise operations, an automatic land leveling system and a monitoring capability to analyze job performance. It can be equipped on agricultural machinery beyond just tractors.

"The system can lead tractors or other machinery to achieve automatic operation," said Liang Fei, sales director of Huida Tech in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Also, it can be operated at night, as the route is well-designed and guided by sensors instead of human vision."

Since its establishment in 2009 in Heilongjiang province, Northeast China, the company has delivered more than 35,000 autopilot steering systems, covering a total of 20.23 million hectares of farmland worldwide, including in Brazil, Laos, Mexico, South Korea, Turkiye and Vietnam.

It has also developed key components to optimize spraying and spreading systems, making them adaptable to a wider range of agricultural scenarios. Its intelligent water-saving irrigation systems and agricultural drones are being piloted in Thailand and Vietnam.

Great potential

"The region enjoys advantages and great potential to develop smart agriculture, as it is the world's major production base of rice, sugarcane and also tropical fruits," Liang said.

"Taking drones for example, they can significantly improve the efficiency of spraying pesticides and fertilizers in hot weather and mountainous areas."

According to the Thailand Board of Investment, about 43 percent of the kingdom's total land area is used for agriculture. The sector generates $41.2 billion annually, contributing 8 percent to the country's GDP. There are about 12 million farmers in Thailand, indicating considerable opportunities for further development in agriculture.

Thailand now has about 5,000 drones monitoring 4 million rai of land across the country, local media reported. In October, Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong announced that the country is ready to support efforts aimed at boosting farmers' access to drones.

"Drones are my next target," said Somboon, the farmer. "Their high efficiency is very impressive."

With a 360-degree rotating radar, the drones designed by Huida can autonomously avoid obstacles, said Chen Guangfei, an engineer at the company.

"In just four hours, it can complete spraying about 40 hectares. And the operation is very easy. Based on our experience, even farmers around the age of 50 can operate it themselves after a two-day training course."

Huida's CEO Zhang Yu said the company plans to establish an innovation center in Thailand within the next two years. It aims to provide local farmers with comprehensive smart farming solutions, fostering a sustainable agricultural ecosystem through scientific planning, intelligent management and large-scale production.

"We are committed to driving the agricultural industry forward, creating a more prosperous and sustainable future for farmers and agricultural producers, and contributing to food security and environmental protection in the region as well as the world," he said.

Over the past year, several economists, including those from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have urged Thailand to focus on reforming the country's structural and human capital development amid climate change, which has resulted in reduced rainfall and other weather problems that pose risks to agriculture.

In July, Peeraphan Korthong, director-general of Thailand's Department of Agricultural Extension, highlighted the critical role of science and technology in addressing these climate change challenges during an interview with local news outlet The Nation.

"Thailand should take action on digitization and technology to boost competitiveness and keep up with the global move toward a digital and low-carbon economy," Peeraphan said. Young farmers should be able to access training, technology and cost mitigation to raise their productivity and discipline, he added.

泰国引入中国智能农业技术  

作为东南亚农业大国和全球天然橡胶生产国，泰国正借助中国智能农业技术推动支柱产业转型。（视频报道）  

在位于北碧府的Danmakamtia村，50岁的颂蓬·颂威尼亚是30位技术革新受益者中的一员。他们正在使用中国智能农业科技企业华大科技研发的自动驾驶转向系统。  

颂蓬拥有超过22公顷农田，主要种植甘蔗、番茄和木薯。过去半年间，他的两台拖拉机已装备这套智能转向系统。  

该系统通过卫星导航指引并配备传感器，可使拖拉机根据不同作物和田间条件沿预设路线自主作业，田间作业精度达到1.5厘米。  

"农活高度依赖季节和天气，"颂蓬说，"在收获或种植季，大型农场通常面临人手短缺，雇佣工人的成本也很高。以耕地为例，每莱（1600平方米）成本约1600泰铢（47美元）。"  

自动驾驶转向系统的引入帮助他将每莱成本降至200泰铢。  

该系统包含精准作业自动驾驶系统、自动平地系统和作业分析监测功能，可适配拖拉机以外的多种农机设备。  

"系统能引导拖拉机或其他农机实现自主作业，"华大科技亚太区销售总监梁飞表示，"由于路线经过精密设计并通过传感器而非人眼导航，这套系统还支持夜间作业。"  

自2009年在中国东北黑龙江省成立以来，该公司已交付超3.5万套自动驾驶转向系统，累计覆盖全球2023万公顷农田，服务范围包括巴西、老挝、墨西哥、韩国、土耳其和越南等国。  

企业还开发了优化喷洒系统的核心部件，使其适配更多农业场景。其智能节水灌溉系统和农业无人机正在泰国和越南进行试点。  

巨大潜力  

"东南亚作为全球主要稻米、甘蔗和热带水果生产基地，发展智慧农业具有显著优势和巨大潜力，"梁飞说，"以无人机为例，在炎热天气和山区地形中，它们能显著提升农药和化肥喷洒效率。"  

据泰国投资促进委员会数据，该国43%的国土面积用于农业。该行业年产值达412亿美元，占GDP比重8%。全国约1200万农民群体为农业发展提供持续动力。  

当地媒体报道，泰国现有约5000架无人机监测着全国400万莱土地。10月，副总理兼数字经济与社会部长普拉瑟宣布，政府将全力支持提升农民无人机使用率。  

"无人机是我的下一个目标，"农民颂蓬表示，"它们的高效作业令人印象深刻。"  

华大科技工程师陈广飞介绍，公司设计的无人机配备360度旋转雷达，可实现自主避障。"仅需4小时就能完成约40公顷的喷洒作业，操作非常简便。根据经验，50岁左右的农民经过两天培训即可独立操作。"  

华大科技CEO张宇表示，公司计划未来两年内在泰国设立创新中心，旨在为当地农户提供全方位智慧农业解决方案，通过科学规划、智能管理和规模化生产构建可持续农业生态系统。  

"我们致力于推动农业产业进步，为农民和农业生产者创造更繁荣可持续的未来，同时为区域乃至全球粮食安全和环境保护作出贡献。"他说。  

过去一年间，包括世界银行和国际货币基金组织在内的多位经济学家建议，泰国应重点推进国家结构和人力资本改革，以应对气候变化导致的降雨减少等威胁农业发展的气象问题。  

7月，泰国农业推广厅厅长佩拉潘在接受《国家报》采访时强调，科学技术在应对气候变化挑战中具有关键作用。  

"泰国应采取数字化和技术革新行动以提升竞争力，跟上全球数字经济和低碳经济转型步伐，"佩拉潘表示。他同时指出，年轻农民应获得技术培训、科技支持和成本控制方案，以提升生产效率和作业规范性。