Fog irrigation system buyer's main country

When they talk aboutfog irrigation system, many people mistakenly imagine only greenhouses. In fact, this is a complex technological complex where China today sets the tone. But not as a manufacturer, but as the main customer.

Market reversal: from Europe to Asia

Five years ago, 70% of requests came from Spain and Italy. Now statisticsbuyer's main countryshows a steady increase in the share of China. Moreover, the Chinese come not for cheap solutions, but for customized projects.

Last month, for example, a request came from Shandong province for a system that combined fogging with precise fertilization. The client immediately clarified: “Standard European kits are not suitable for us, we have a special humidity regime?” This is typical for their market.

By the way, those who believe that the Chinese are saving on automation are mistaken. Quite the opposite - they are willing to overpay for integration with their own monitoring platforms. Apparently, experience takes its tollShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd, which specialize in complex solutions.

Technical nuances that beginners do not take into account

8 bar pressure is a common design mistake. For fog you need at least 12, otherwise the drops turn out large and settle on the leaves and not in the air. I checked it at a facility in Qingdao - there they lost 30% of the cooling efficiency because of this.

Filtration is a separate headache. Chinese customers often underestimate water hardness. We have to install three-stage systems, although the projects initially included single-stage systems. On the websitehttps://www.lyzhihuinongye.ruThey correctly focus on this point - they already include multi-layer filters as standard.

And one more detail: Chinese greenhouses often have a non-standard height - up to 8 meters. This requires recalculating the diameter of the nozzles, otherwise the fog simply does not reach the plants. Three sections had to be redone on site at a site in Fujian.

Case: why the Henan project failed

There was an attempt to save on controllers - they installed a simplified version without remote access. Two weeks later, the client demanded a replacement: it turned out that their agronomists were used to managing everything via WeChat. I had to urgently install SmartControl-X, which supports integration with instant messengers.

It is worth noting here thatShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,LtdInitially they proposed just such a solution, but then it seemed that it was redundant. Now I understand that they know local peculiarities better.

The second mistake was that they did not take into account the seasonality of the winds. In August, there were strong easterly winds in that region, which simply blew the fog out of the ventilation windows. The addition of windbreaks increased the cost of the project by 15%, but without it the system would have been useless.

Pitfalls of logistics and installation

Customs clearance of components is a different story. For example, injectors with a hole diameter of less than 0.3 mm are subject to restrictions as dual-use goods. I had to prove that this was for agriculture and not for chemical laboratories.

Installation crews in China work in a special way. They don’t like to read instructions, but they are great at adapting solutions to local conditions. I once saw how they replaced the standard fasteners with homemade ones - and it turned out to be even more reliable.

Timing is a critical parameter. Chinese partners demand compliance with the schedule to the day. If there are delays of even a day, financial sanctions begin. Therefore, now we always reserve +20% of the time for unforeseen circumstances.

Outlook: where the industry is heading

We are already seeing requests for the integration of fog systems with AI analytics. In Shandong, they are testing a system that uses a camera to detect stress in plants and automatically adjusts the irrigation regime. I think in a year this will become the standard for premium projects.

I wonder whatbuyer's main countrybegins to export its own developments. The same Chinese are now offering solutions for Southeast Asia, adapted to the tropical climate. Competition is intensifying, but the market is also growing.

Personally, I believe that the future lies in hybrid systems where fog is combined with drip irrigation. He is developing just such projectsShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltd— I saw their latest cases on smart greenhouse complexes. It looks promising, although it requires a revision of classical approaches to design.

Conclusions that are not written in textbooks

Working with the Chinese market, you understand that you cannot offer template solutions here. Each project requires deep adaptation, not only technical, but also cultural. Their approach to agriculture is a symbiosis of tradition and high technology.

Now, by the way, I am revising the specifications for a new facility in Guangdong. They requested a system with the possibility of separate control for 12 zones - apparently, they will test different modes on experimental crops. Standard European controllers won’t handle this; customization is needed.

In general,fog irrigation systemis no longer just a technical solution. In the Chinese version, this is a complex digital product, where everything is important: from the diameter of the nozzles to integration with mobile applications. And those who do not understand this will simply be left out of this market.