Agricultural weather station buyer's main country

When people talk about agricultural weather stations, everyone immediately thinks of China or Europe, but in reality, the main flow of orders has been coming from Kazakhstan for years - and they don’t just “buy”, but build entire monitoring systems for arid zones. Many people mistakenly think that a weather station is just temperature sensors, but in fact, Kazakh farmers require integration with drip irrigation, taking into account local wind loads and dust storms.

Why Kazakhstan has become a key market

In 2022, we delivered the first batch of weather stations to the Aktobe region - the customer then skeptically asked whether the anemometers would withstand steppe storms. It turned out that the standard models actually jammed after two months of sandblasting, and the bearing assemblies had to be hastily modified. Now we install windproof covers in the basic configuration for this region, although initially they were not included in the specifications.

It is interesting that Kazakh agricultural holdings rarely use “naked” weather stations - they need a link to the irrigation system. Once we assembled a kit with soil moisture sensors for a cooperative in the Almaty region, and a week later they called: 'Why doesn't the data connect to our pumping stations?' We had to urgently adapt exchange protocols for local controllers - now this case has become a standard solution.

The climatic features there are truly unique: in the North Kazakhstan region, temperature changes per day reach 15 degrees, and dew sensors often freeze. I had to work with the engineersShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdto develop heated sensors - the solution turned out to be so successful that we are now including it in supplies for all northern regions.

Technical nuances that are not written in brochures

Solar panels as standard quickly become covered with dust in the Kazakh steppes - at first it was thought that customers would clean them themselves, but in practice it turned out that the objects are often hundreds of kilometers from service centers. It was necessary to develop an automatic cleaning system with minimal energy consumption.

UV radiation sensors were especially problematic - in the high mountainous regions of the East Kazakhstan region they failed after 4-6 months. After a series of tests, we found out that it was not just the sensors that needed to be changed, but the entire material of the protective dome. Now we use quartz glass with a special coating, although this increases the cost of the station by 12%.

Data transfer protocols are a different story. Local cellular operators do not always work reliably in remote areas, so at the same time we set up a backup channel via satellite communications. By the way, on the websitelyzhihuinongye.ruThere are technical specifications specifically for such cases, but live consultations are still indispensable.

Integration with irrigation systems is a key requirement

Almost 80% of requests from Kazakhstani customers include a requirement for compatibility with fertigation equipment. Last year there was an indicative case: an agricultural company from the Kyzylorda region bought weather stations from another supplier, but could not connect them with existing valves - as a result, we had to redo the entire control system.

It was especially difficult to adapt irrigation algorithms to local soils - in some areas of the Aral Sea region, salinity reaches such levels that standard calibrations of humidity sensors give an error of up to 30%. Together with specialistsShandong Lingyao Co.,Ltddeveloped correction factors for different types of soil - now this has become part of the pre-sale preparation.

Interestingly, many customers initially doubt the need for leaf moisture sensors - they consider it overkill. But after the epiphytotics of powdery mildew were prevented in the Zhambyl region precisely thanks to these indicators, the demand for expanded equipment tripled.

Logistics and service - hidden difficulties

Customs clearance of equipment with lithium batteries is a separate quest. In 2023, a batch of weather stations stood at the border for 3 weeks due to new battery certification requirements. Now we are preparing a full package of documents in advance, including temperature stability test reports.

Training local technicians is another challenge. At first they tried to conduct standard trainings, but quickly realized that practical training was needed directly in the field. The last time we had to specially bring a demonstration stand to Nur-Sultan - it turned out that 70% of breakdowns were associated with improper grounding installation.

Spare parts are a separate headache. The standard delivery time is 2-3 weeks, and during the high season, customers are willing to wait a maximum of 3-4 days. We had to create a mini-warehouse in Shymkent with the most popular components: pressure sensors, GSM module boards and network converters.

Development prospects and new challenges

Now I see a growing demand for predictive models - Kazakh farmers want not just current data, but integrated analysis systems. Last month, we were just discussing with a representative of a large holding company the possibility of connecting weather stations to their ERP system via API.

Energy supply remains a problem, with remote areas experiencing frequent power outages and solar panels covered in snow in winter. We are experimenting with hybrid solutions: low-power wind generators + gel batteries. The results so far are encouraging, but the cost of the solution is still high.

It is interesting to observe how the requirements for measurement accuracy are changing - if previously they were content with data with an error of 5-7%, now they require 1-2% for the main parameters. This forces constant updating of sensor equipment and calibration techniques. By the way, in the catalogShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,LtdNew models with improved characteristics have already appeared, but a mass transition to them will take another 1-2 seasons.