Agricultural modernization, Heilongjiang Province “It’s autumn and a harvest season in China. I’m at Tailai Farm, one of the oldest farms in the country. Farmers in the northernmost Heilongjiang Province have started harvesting their crops of the season, and the main produce here is rice.”

Agricultural modernization boost economic development in northeast China

“Heilongjiang is one of the most important contributors to China’s grain production. It is known as China’s grain barn and produces about 11 percent of its food. I was told that one in nine bowls of rice in the country is produced here in Heilongjiang. Agricultural modernization “This year, I was lucky to join the farmers during harvest time, and see for myself how China puts food on millions of people’s tables. It’s a bumper harvest in northeast China, and a busy season for farmers in Tailai County. They’ve already begun harvesting. Rice is the main crop here. Tailai Farm was established in 1948. Through decades of development, it has grown into a modern agricultural base. From sowing, to reaping, to fertilization, the process is done almost entirely by machines. But the secret to producing good quality rice remains unchanged. The key ingredients are fertile soil, suitable temperatures, and river irrigation. And also, a love of the land. SUN TIANYUAN Tailai Farm, Heilongjiang Province “Ensuring that 1.4 billion people have food on their table remains a priority for China. The country has managed to feed one fifth of the world’s population with less than nine percent of the world’s arable land. China’s annual grain yield has reached over 650 million tons for seven years in a row. That means each person in this country has about 480 kilograms of food every year, which is significantly above the world average.” Chinese President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the CPC, visited Heilongjiang in 2018. He emphasized that China needs to grow its own grains to secure its rice bowl. That’s exactly what the province has been doing over the decades. It’s certainly playing a significant role in guaranteeing national food security. And it will continue to do so as the bedrock of the country’s food security.

Securing China’s rice bowls is the result of decades of hard work as well as scientific and technological advances. Experts and farmers have worked together to improve the seeds and varieties. Automated machines and satellite navigation have also helped ease farming. To understand rice production from the roots to the shoots, I talked to Yang Shilai, a farmer who started work here back in the 90s. Agricultural modernization,  I asked him how farming has evolved over the years. YANG SHILAI Tailai Farmer “I have been working here for more than 30 years since 1987. The yields of the farm per unit area has increased from around 200 kilograms to over 700 kilograms. Agricultural modernization, The astounding output should be attributed to both the development of technology and high spirits of the farmers. Thanks to the advanced technology, now an average person can farm over 1000 unit areas of land, a sheer increase from the 30 unit areas of land in the past. Now the mechanisation of farming has reached a high level and in the future, fulled automated farming can be realized.” Mr Yang shared with me how his son came back to the farm three years ago, and continues to help him to this day, something he hopes he’ll keep up, long after Mr Yang retires. YANG SHILAI Tailai Farmer “Two generations of farmers have devoted themselves in farming here and I am one of the second generation. I’m attached to this piece of land and so does my son. I think in this vast land, great things can be achieved by my son. I sincerely hope that he can carry on the spirits of the previous two generation of farmers and take the output of grains to new heights.” SUN TIANYUAN Tailai Farm, Heilongjiang Province “For more on China’s grain production and food security, let’s go to my colleague Huang Yue who is also at the farm.”

HUANG YUE Tailai Farm, Heilongjiang Province “Thank you Tianyuan. Mr. Yang’s story is really touching. In fact, as someone who was born and raised in east of China, this is also the first time for me to see such vast paddy fields, and I’m very honored to be joined by Mr. Zhao Zhongchen and Mr. Yin Long, managers of the Tailai Farm. Thank you gentlemen for joining us.” In 2018, Chinese President and General Secretary of the CPC Xi Jinping visited Jiansanjiang, and he said it’s not an easy task for Beidahuang to be built like what we see today. As one of the farms built even before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, what has Tailai experienced over the past decades? YIN LONG General Manager Tailai Farm, Heilongjiang Province “As one of the 115 farming and ranching companies of Beidahuang Group, Tailai Farm has experienced four development periods. The first period is the stage of initial construction, when the farm became one of the first batch of state-owned farms of Beidahuang Group; The second period is a time for continuous development, during which a comprehensive farm encompassing agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing industry was built; The third period is about reform and opening up, when agricultural modernization was accelerated; The fourth period is to carry out the enterprise reform and to build an organic rice farm in the new era.” HUANG YUE Tailai farm, Heilongjiang Province “During his visit, President Xi said the soil in Beidahuang should be continuously optimized, not degraded. Agricultural development should be sustainable, because we cannot drain the pond to get all the fish. What has Tailai done to promote sustainable agricultural development?” ZHAO ZHONGCHEN Senior Agronomist, Tailai Farm “Tailai Farm closely follows the black soil protection standards issued by Beidahuang Group. We promote no-tillage seeding techniques in dry fields, and a straw returning technique in paddy fields. We use organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer to enhance soil fertility, improve the organic content of the soil, and protect the invaluable black soil.”

Source: This news is originally published by cgtn

 

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