Syngenta, DJI Plant Seeds for Agricultural Drone Partnership

The world’s largest consumer drone-maker, DJI Technology Co. Ltd., has teamed up with Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta AG to secure a foothold in China’s booming agricultural drone market.
The deal aims to improve the technology of DJI’s drones by taking advantage of Syngenta’s expertise in spraying pesticides on crops, the companies announced Wednesday.
A trial program will be rolled out in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang before expanding to other provinces like Zhejiang and Anhui, Caixin has learned.
Established in 2006, DJI has developed quickly with its consumer drones — mainly used for film shooting in the media and entertainment industries. But the company began flying its drones into the agricultural sector in 2015, tapping the growth potential of the market.
DJI said it has sold 7,500 drones for agricultural use in China, capturing a 70% share of the market.
The Shenzhen-based company is currently in talks with investors for a $1 billion funding round, which could eventually lead to an initial public offering, Caixin reported Wednesday.
The amount was initially reported to be $500 million, but was then raised to $1 billion amid investor enthusiasm. The new round of funding might increase the company’s valuation to $15 billion, according to The Information, a U.S. technology news portal.
Syngenta is the world’s largest crop chemical producer. It was formed in 2000 by the merger of Novartis Agribusiness and Zeneca Agrochemicals.
In January 2017, the state-owned China National Chemical Corp. announced that it had successfully completed a $49 billion takeover of Syngenta, after a long and bumpy ride to overcome regulatory hurdles and financing concerns.
Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)
- 1Cover Story: The Vision of Singapore’s Next Prime Minister
- 2Local Chinese Governments Paid $148 Billion in Interest in 2022
- 3In Depth: What’s in Store for Yuan Internationalization in 2023?
- 4Weekend Long Read: What Jack Ma Taught Me in 1999
- 5U.S. Seeks ‘Guardrails’ in China Talks to Avoid Conflict, State Department Says
- 1Power To The People: Pintec Serves A Booming Consumer Class
- 2Largest hotel group in Europe accepts UnionPay
- 3UnionPay mobile QuickPass debuts in Hong Kong
- 4UnionPay International launches premium catering privilege U Dining Collection
- 5UnionPay International’s U Plan has covered over 1600 stores overseas