During the autumn harvest season, there is a new high-tech helper in the fields. A drone can now be used to airlift corn, carrying up to nearly 200 kilograms per trip and shifting more than ten tonnes in a single day, a productivity level equivalent to over a dozen manual laborers.

On September 15, in Bijie, Guizhou, drone pilot Mr. Hao explained that the straight-line distance from a farmer's field to their home is about 500 meters, but with the slopes, a person has to walk two kilometers. The drone, however, makes the round trip in just one minute.

With most of the village's farming now done by elderly residents who remain behind, manual transport is both exhausting and slow. Hiring three or four workers means it takes several days to move the crop, but the drone gets the whole job done in under a day.

The service is charged by weight, ranging from 7 fen to just over 10 fen per jin. When compared with the going rate of 130 to 150 yuan per day for manual labor, it works out to be a much better deal for the farmers.

Mr. Hao mentioned that the profit margin on this business is quite thin, with a pilot earning less than 200 yuan a day. Coming from a rural background himself, he fully understands the difficulties farmers face. When he encounters elderly people who live alone or those with disabilities, he often performs the lifting service for free.

Mr. Hao stated that as technology progresses, if it can bring a little more happiness to farmers, then it is a good thing.