In its pursuit of high-quality development, China is making significant strides in agricultural technology, resulting in a historic crop yield exceeding 1.3 trillion jin (650 billion kilograms) this year, despite adverse weather conditions. Innovative technologies and substantial governmental investments played pivotal roles in achieving this record.
The summer crop, marking the initial harvest of the year, reached 292.3 billion jin in 2023, experiencing a marginal 0.9 percent decrease. Nonetheless, this still represented a bumper harvest year, overcoming challenges such as continuous rain during harvest months and regional floods and droughts.
The Chinese government implemented a range of policies to support farmers, including raising the minimum purchase price of wheat, increasing reward funds for major grain-producing counties, and expanding the scope of wheat planting insurance. Additionally, a one-time subsidy of 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) was allocated to farmers practicing spring field management to protect their income.
A significant portion of funds, totaling 3.7 billion yuan, was allocated for agricultural disaster prevention and relief, with a focus on promoting "one spray, multiple boosts" during the critical period of autumn grain production—a technology crucial for ensuring robust crop growth.
China has embraced technological advancements to enhance crop yield and optimize the production chain. High-density planting, adopted by 300 major soybean and corn-producing counties, has increased crop yield per hectare by 1.125-2.25 tonnes, contributing to 73 percent of the total crop production increase.
The national agricultural science and technology progress contribution rate surged from 54.5 percent in 2012 to 62.4 percent in 2022, showcasing robust support for high-quality agricultural development. Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) are extensively used for precision seeding, smart irrigation, and drone-assisted plant protection.
Nationwide, the mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting has exceeded 73 percent, with 1.8 million agricultural machinery units equipped with Beidou positioning operation terminals. Farmers in Shouguang, Shandong Province, monitor tomato growth using smartphones, while IoT sensors in greenhouses provide essential data for environmental control.
In Fuzhou, south China, technicians utilize a mobile application to patrol farmland and receive alerts about illegal construction. In addition to upgrading farming equipment, researchers have successfully cultivated 12 new varieties of white shrimp and developed homegrown white feather broilers, which now constitute over 20 percent of the national market.
In Ji'an, Jiangxi Province, a new rapeseed variety with a shorter cultivation cycle, enhancing oil production, has been widely adopted. The contribution of 500,000 agricultural technicians nationwide has been crucial in ensuring crop production and increase, underscoring China's commitment to agricultural modernization through technological innovation.
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