A video showing a farmer being transported by a large agricultural drone to and from a plantation in Tuban, East Java, has attracted widespread attention on social media.
The footage was uploaded to the TikTok account @mbahkaruhon.tiktok.com1 by Budianto, 47, Director of PT Bina Tani Makmur Jombang. The video was recorded on one of the company’s plantation sites in the Merakurak area of Tuban Regency.
In the footage, a worker is seen suspended beneath a large-capacity drone using a rope harness before being flown across the plantation. According to the caption accompanying the video, the drone transported the worker from the plantation to a vehicle parking area approximately 1.5 kilometres away.
Speaking to CNN Indonesia, Budianto confirmed that the drone belongs to his company but clarified that he was not the person featured in the video.
“I wasn’t the one riding the drone. The one riding the drone was the head of the area workers. That’s my partner,” Budianto said, as quoted from CNNIndonesia.
PT Bina Tani Makmur operates in the plantation and fruit trading sector, supplying produce to modern retailers and local markets. In addition to managing its own plantations, the company works with farming partners across several regions in East Java to meet production demand.
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Drone Introduced to Overcome Difficult Access
Budianto explained that the company began using large agricultural drones to overcome access problems at plantation sites where roads are unavailable or unsuitable for vehicles.
The Merakurak plantation, where the video was filmed, is located on previously uncultivated land near the coast with muddy terrain, making it difficult to reach by conventional transport.
“It’s difficult to access by vehicle because there’s no road,” he said.
Rather than using helicopters, which would require significantly higher operating costs and permits, the company chose to invest in large-capacity agricultural drones.
“So what’s the solution? Why don’t we use a helicopter? Oh, no way. The permits are expensive. What can we use? Just use a drone. A large-capacity agricultural drone,” he said.
According to Budianto, the drone was originally designed to transport water and spray pesticides. However, because it can carry loads of up to 150 litres of liquid or approximately 150 kilograms, the company modified the aircraft by removing the water tank and attaching ropes to carry fertiliser, seeds and other farming equipment.
“It can carry 150 litres of water. So, we modified it. We removed the water tank. Yes, we modified it. Then, we gave it a rope, rope, or rope to tie the fertiliser or seeds,” he explained.
Supporting Agricultural Work
Budianto said the drone is also helping address labour challenges, particularly among younger workers who are reluctant to transport animal manure manually.
According to him, the technology allows older workers, who are more accustomed to handling manure, to prepare the materials while younger workers operate the drones and manage other technical tasks.
“We’re attracting young people to work with us so they can’t, sir. They don’t want to, no one wants to, even if the salary is high. But if we facilitate drones, they won’t handle the manure. The ones handling the manure will be older farmers, who are used to the smell of manure. The young people are the operators and so on,” he said.
Budianto added that the drones represent a significant investment, with each unit costing between Rp320 million and Rp350 million.
“The drones are large-capacity, about the price of a Fortuner,” he said.
The drone featured in the viral video has been identified as the DJI FlyCart 100 (FC100), a heavy-lift delivery drone designed for transporting cargo in difficult terrain. The aircraft is equipped with an intelligent safety system incorporating LiDAR, a parachute and multi-sensor obstacle avoidance technology.
Designed for operations in mountainous areas and across rivers, lakes and other challenging environments, the FC100 can carry payloads of up to 65 kilograms over distances of 12 kilometres using a dual-battery configuration, or up to 80 kilograms for six kilometres with a single battery in emergency situations.
The model is currently listed on several Indonesian e-commerce platforms for approximately Rp500 million.
