Modern irrigation systems main buyer country

When they talk aboutmodern irrigation systems, immediately imagine Israel or Holland, but real customers often sit where the climate is harsher and there is less water. Here in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, even the south of Russia - there is no time for experiments there; we need solutions that will save water tomorrow without loss of crops.

Why these markets?

Working withbuyer's main countryfrom Central Asia, you understand: their interest in drip irrigation is not a tribute to fashion, but a matter of survival. I remember that in the Kostanay region, an agricultural holding refused to use automation for three years, until the drought cut down half of the wheat. After that, they bought not just pipes and drippers, but a full control cycle - from humidity sensors to weather stations.

Uzbekistan is a special story in general. Historically, they water there the old fashioned way, with ditches, but the youth are already putting pressure on the older generation - they demand precise water consumption. Our engineers fromShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,Ltdwe just noticed: local agronomists are initially skeptical about smart controllers, but when they see that the system itself adjusts watering based on soil moisture, they immediately ask to add a module for fertigation.

By the way, it is a mistake to think that in these regions they only buy cheap things. In Kazakhstan, for example, they are increasingly asking not onlymodern irrigation systems, but integration with local weather data and adaptation to saline soils. We even had to modify the algorithms for our controllers - standard firmware did not always take into account sudden temperature changes at night.

Technical nuances for specific regions

If in the Krasnodar Territory you can install standard filters, then for Uzbekistan you have to add a gravel filtration stage - water from the canals comes with sand and algae. Somehow they installed the system without taking this into account - after a month the droppers began to clog, and they had to urgently replenish it.

Automatic valves are a separate issue. In the same farms near Almaty in winter the temperatures are down to -40°, and ordinary electromechanics simply cannot withstand it. Had to with the engineersShandong Lingyao Co.,LtdIt’s more expensive to develop antifreeze modules, but after the first winter, customers said that it paid off by preserving the season.

Frequency converters are a seemingly standard solution, but in Kazakhstan, for example, in remote areas, power surges are such that electronics burn. They installed stabilizers, but then switched to hybrid solutions with solar panels - it turned out to be more reliable, although more expensive in initial cost.

Errors that need to be corrected

There was a case in the Aktobe region: they purchased an expensive Israeli system, but did not take into account that the water there had a high salt content. Six months later, the emitters were covered with plaque, and efficiency dropped by 60%. Our technicians then suggested not changing the entire system, but installing an acid injection unit - it worked, but the lesson was remembered: solutions cannot be transferred without analyzing the water on site.

Another common mistake is skimping on design. In the Fergana Valley, one client installed drip tapes himself, but did not do zoning along the slopes. As a result, the lower parts of the field were flooded, while the upper parts remained dry. I had to re-arrange it with the correct calculation of the slopes - now the same business executive is already ordering a system with remote control of the valves.

By the way, about remote control. At first they thought that this was more for large holdings, but in Crimea even small farmers ask for remote control - apparently, water shortages have an effect. We had to develop simplified versions controlled through a Telegram bot, without complex platforms.

What really works in these conditions

From practice: in the steppe regions, not steel, but HDPE pipelines perform better - they are cheaper and do not rust from mineral fertilizers. But they must be buried below freezing, otherwise in the spring you will get a fountain. At one site near Nur-Sultan we had to dig it up with an excavator - they didn’t pay attention to the installers.

Fertigation systems are a separate matter. In Uzbekistan, where fertilizers are traditionally applied manually, automatic dosing initially caused mistrust. We have not yet conducted a demonstration on a cotton field: saving 30% of fertilizers, we received a 15% increase in yield. After this, even conservative state farm directors began to become interested.

Filtration seems like a small thing, but this is where savings are most often made. Water from the Syrdarya cannot be supplied to drip lines without multi-stage purification - sand will damage the entire system within a season. We have to explain that it is better to install good disk filters right away than to later change drippers throughout the entire field.

Prospects and limitations

Now I see a trend: those who bought basic systems five years ago are now asking for an upgrade - soil moisture sensors, integration with weather stations. BShandong Linyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co.,LtdInexpensive sensor systems are being developed so that even medium-sized farms can afford precision farming.

But there are also problems. In Kazakhstan, for example, there are not enough local service engineers; they have to be trained from scratch. Sometimes it’s easier to bring your own specialist, but this increases the cost of service. We are now thinking about creating regional training centers, perhaps together with local agricultural universities.

Price is also an important factor. Chinese manufacturers offer cheap analogues, but their equipment is often not adapted to local conditions. Our approach is not to strive for cheapness, but to offer modular solutions: the client starts with a basic kit, then purchases additional functionality as needed. By the way, this is what they did in one Crimean horticultural farm - at first they installed only drip irrigation, a year later they added fertigation, and after another season - a monitoring system.

To summarize:buyer's main countryfor modern irrigation systems, these are not always the richest regions, but those where water has really become a limiting factor. And there they value not so much manufacturability for manufacturability’s sake, but rather reliability and the possibility of gradual modernization. As practice shows, even conservative farmers are ready to introduce innovations when they see a direct economic effect - not in the future, but in the current season.