Boyolali Farmers Use Drones to Combat Brown Planthopper Infestation

As many as 80 hectares of rice plants spread across 13 villages in Banyudono District, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, have been invaded by brown planthopper pests. To prevent crop failure, farmers are utilising drones to spray pesticides.

"Farmers must move quickly, otherwise they could face crop failure this planting season," said Batan Village Head Heru Waluyo during a pest control movement on Wednesday (22/7/2026).

Several farmer groups are using drones in the effort to eradicate the brown planthopper by spraying pesticide flown via the unmanned aircraft. According to Sularjo, a Banyudono farmer, manual pesticide spraying takes hours and is ineffective. "We have used drone technology. For a 9-hectare paddy field, it only takes 40 minutes and is effective. Manually, it takes more than 4 hours," he said.

Batan Village Head Heru noted that in his village alone, nearly 10 hectares out of 50 hectares have been attacked by the brown planthopper. "The manual method takes longer and is exhausting," he stated. He explained that the drone is rented, with financing covered by the village’s own-source revenue. He detailed that for one hectare of paddy field, pesticide spraying using a drone requires a budget of Rp500,000. The drone is operated by a third-party operator. "If any paddy field area is missed from the planning target, farmers only need to add Rp17,000," he said.

Farmers and the village administration in Banyudono District hope that the regional, provincial, and central governments will pay attention and provide assistance, so that efforts to eradicate the planthopper pest do not disrupt food self-sufficiency.