China Raises Agricultural Robot Purchase Subsidy to 50%

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced on January 6 that agricultural robot purchase subsidies have been raised from 30% to 50%, with the maximum subsidy per unit increasing from 200,000 to 500,000 yuan. The new policy took effect January 1, 2028, valid through December 31, 2030.

Subsidies cover 12 categories of agricultural robots including intelligent seeding robots, crop protection drones, fruit and vegetable picking robots, agricultural product sorting robots, and field inspection robots. Fruit and vegetable picking robots receive the largest subsidies at up to 500,000 yuan per unit.

The Ministry's agricultural mechanization department director stated that China's agricultural workforce average age now exceeds 55, making agricultural robots key to addressing labor shortages. "Our target is to achieve over 90% full mechanization for major crops by 2030."

According to the China Agricultural Machinery Industry Association, China's agricultural robot market reached approximately 18.5 billion yuan in 2027, a 67% year-over-year increase. The subsidy policy is expected to further stimulate market demand, with 2028 market size projected to exceed 30 billion yuan.