December 5, 2020

Orders soar in Brazil for Roboagro robot that feeds swine while playing music

Roboagro, a robot manufactured by Brazilian company Roboagro that feeds swine while playing classical musical, has seen sales soar this year as farmers look to cut costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reported.

Roboagro said in a statement that their sales increased by an average of 400% to 60 units monthly.

The robot uses linear feeders to give swine divided in pens the exact amount of feed needed per meal. The robot plays classical music as it distributes the feed, which Roboagro claims helps mitigate the swine's stress.

Giovani Molin, director of Roboagro, said the robot reduces human presence on swine farms and produces data to boost overall herd management.

75% of swine production costs are attributed to feed, which is important as grain prices have surged because of increased demand.

Roboagro said farmers who use the robot will see their feed conversion ratio of swine improve, increasing livestock quality. The robot will save farmers about BRL 40,000 (~US$7,792) annually per 1,000 swine, not counting labour costs.

The company said the robot is utilised in about 500 farms in Brazil. These include major meat processors like BRF SA and JBS SA.

Brazil has increased its pork export volumes by 40% between January to October this year, generating US$1.87 billion in revenue thanks to strong demand from China.