A combine harvester reaps wheat in a field in Dachang Town of Xihai'an (West Coast) New Area in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 11, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

Farmers across China have ramped up efforts to either plant or harvest summer grain with the help of advanced farming equipment and technology, as the peak summer harvest season approaches and the scorching heat wave continues to wreak havoc in the central and northern swathes of the country.

The use of cutting-edge technology and time-saving equipment, including modern agricultural machinery, are driving efficient grain harvests. Modern agricultural technology is helping meet the growing demand for sustainable food production, officials said.

As modern agricultural machinery is playing a crucial role in ensuring efficient and successful harvests, local authorities are taking a range of measures to improve agricultural efficiency and quality. 

For example, in one of the country's major wheat-producing regions East China's Shandong Province, more than 80 percent of the new high-efficiency combine harvesters have been deployed, speeding up the harvest process while keeping loss rates to below 1 percent, according to China Media Group.

In Central China's Henan Province, an auto-steering system called Beidou navigation agricultural machinery automatic driving system has been adopted for the purposes of boosting harvesting efficiency, while reducing production costs. As of June 11, about 84 percent of the province's summer grain has been sown, China Media Group reported.

The summer harvest is in full swing thanks to the use of technology in farming and agricultural practices to increase efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in food production, agricultural experts noted. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, over 250,000 combine harvesters with a large feeding capacity of 9-10 kg/second have been applied in a single day, with a focus on using more efficient and low-loss equipment for harvesting. These advanced harvesters can cover over 300 mu (20 hectares) in one day, meeting the demands of summer harvest operations effectively.

As of June 5, about 190 million mu of winter wheat has been harvested nationwide, with a harvesting progress of 57 percent, which is 17.7 percentage points faster than the previous year, the ministry said.

Ensuring food security is of great importance to achieve the target to build China into an agricultural powerhouse, including ensuring a stable and sufficient grain supply and increase the capacity for grain production.

China's farming sector has been going high-tech in recent years, with the country highlighting the role of sci-tech development to ensure food security, Xinhua News Agency reported, adding that the contribution rate of China's agricultural technology progress reaching 62.4 percent in 2022. 

Aided by increased contributions from agricultural machinery and technology, China secured a grain harvest of over 650 million tons for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, Xinhua said.


Global Times