Brazil’s agricultural drone market is entering a new phase of consolidation after several years of rapid expansion, attracting increasing investment from global technology manufacturers and traditional agricultural machinery companies seeking to strengthen their positions in one of the world’s largest farming economies.

Driven primarily by equipment imported from China — the global hub for agricultural drone manufacturing — drones have rapidly evolved from niche tools into mainstream operational technologies widely used on Brazilian farms.

According to Cláudio Júnior Oliveira, operational director of the National Union of Agricultural Aviation Companies, Brazil currently has approximately 30,000 agricultural drones either in operation or inventory, reflecting explosive growth since 2022 after regulatory simplification measures adopted by the country’s civil aviation authorities.

Before 2019, when DJI Agriculture formally entered the Brazilian market, the adoption of agricultural drones remained limited to only a few hundred units nationwide. Even at the beginning of the decade, the number of agricultural drones operating in Brazil was estimated at roughly 3,000 units.

The rapid expansion accelerated after Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency simplified registration rules for medium-sized drones, helping unlock broader adoption across soybean, corn, sugarcane, coffee, rice, pasture, and specialty crop production systems.

According to Oliveira, the sector has now moved beyond the experimentation stage.

″Farmers initially needed to understand the technology. Once they tested drones in the field and confirmed gains in efficiency and productivity, they began viewing them not only as isolated innovations, but as technological complements to large machinery and, in some cases, alternatives to tractors and conventional aerial spraying aircraft,″ he said.

Support Networks Become Central to Competition

As adoption expands, the sector’s competitive focus is shifting away from simple equipment sales towards technical support, spare parts logistics, maintenance infrastructure, and operator training.

This transition is pushing manufacturers to invest heavily in nationwide service networks capable of supporting producers during critical crop protection windows, when equipment downtime can directly impact field operations.

According to Stefan Wang, commercial director of DJI Agriculture in Brazil, the Chinese manufacturer currently operates approximately 400 authorized service centers across the country and plans to expand that network to 600 locations in the coming years.

″We want to expand our structure to better support customers,″ Wang said.

Wang noted that these service centers not only sell drones, but also provide maintenance services and, in some cases, aerial spraying operations for growers.

″As this is highly technological equipment, offering a good product alone is not enough. Strong support is essential because when a drone requires maintenance, the operational window cannot stop,″ he added.

DJI estimates Brazil is now its second-largest agricultural drone market globally after China, and expects the number of its drones operating in Brazilian agriculture to increase tenfold over the next decade, from approximately 20,000 units today to as many as 200,000 units.

Traditional Machinery Companies Move Into Drones

The market’s rapid growth is also attracting traditional agricultural machinery manufacturers seeking to integrate drones into broader farm equipment portfolios.

Brazilian machinery manufacturer Jacto entered the drone segment in 2024 by beginning sales of DJI drone models through its national dealership network.

According to Sergio Silveira, drone sales coordinator at Jacto, the company is using its long-standing relationship with producers as a key competitive differentiator.

″Jacto offers peace of mind to growers through its nationwide dealership network, with specialized technical assistance, spare parts availability, and rapid logistics,″ Silveira said.

Initially, the company focused on grain producers in southern São Paulo and Paraná, where it already maintained a strong presence with sprayers and other agricultural machinery.

The company later expanded its portfolio to include the D100 model, a larger drone equipped with a 100-liter tank designed for large-scale operations.

Meanwhile, Case IH, the agricultural machinery brand owned by CNH Industrial, entered the Brazilian drone market through a partnership with Chinese manufacturer XAG.

According to Rudney Neves, new business manager for Latin America at CNH Industrial, producers increasingly expect integrated support structures, rather than standalone technologies.

″The market often focuses on importing, selling, and quickly delivering equipment. Our commitment is different. We are not selling drones — we are selling a solution,″ Neves said.

Case IH is leveraging its network of more than 190 dealerships across Brazil to provide technical support comparable to what producers receive when purchasing tractors and self-propelled sprayers.

Adoption Expands Beyond Large Farms

The growth of drone spraying technology is also extending into smaller farming operations and regions historically underserved by conventional aerial application systems.

Oliveira noted that family farmers and rural communities are increasingly adopting drones because of their lower operational costs and flexibility, compared to traditional agricultural machinery.

″We have identified quilombola communities in Espírito Santo purchasing drones for family farming operations. This introduces relevant technology into smaller-scale agriculture and can improve competitiveness,″ he said.

The expansion of drone applications is also accelerating the professionalization of the sector. Since 2021, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture has required drone operators performing aerial pesticide spraying to complete a specialized certification program known as the Remote Agricultural Applicator Course.

Wang said DJI alone has already trained more than 20,000 drone pilots in Brazil.

Industry executives increasingly view operator qualification, technical assistance, and integrated service structures as decisive factors in the next stage of consolidation, as agricultural drones transition from emerging technology into a core component of modern crop production systems.

Source:AgNews