China is planning for food security to build 800 million hectares of high-standard farmland by 2030, as part of efforts to stabilize food production. In Jilin Province, a cooperative company has joined hands with local farmers to do just that. Yu Li has more.
Cultivating high-standard farmlands, farmers in northeast China’s Jilin Province say it’s all about where you do it. WANG CHENG Chairman, Qiancheng Farmers Professional Cooperative Fanjiatun Town, Gongzhuling City “The quality of land is very important in creating high-standard farmlands. We should find square plots that are suitable for mechanization. What we do is that we rent different plots of land from different farmers and then join them together to make one big piece of land. They can sometimes reach tens of hectares.”
In 2021, China’s corn imports more than doubled. Imports of wheat also hit a record last year. And for a country trying to reach food self-sufficiency, that means there’s a lot to be done. President Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to china food security, saying “Chinese people should hold their rice bowls firmly in their own hands, with grains mainly produced by themselves.”
The country now hopes to reach that target through building high-standard farmland. But there’s no evaluation model for high-standard farmlands and officials in this grain producing county say infrastructure is the key. MENG FANQIANG Deputy Director, Gongzhuling Agricultural and Rural Bureau “High-standard farmlands must first ensure irrigation. It is very important to supply water during critical stages of growth. Ensuring irrigation can increase yield by at least five to 10 percent. Drainage system is also important to protect seedlings from waterlogging. The construction of roads is important too. By building cement or gravel roads between the fields, large-scale machinery can easily enter the fields during the peak of farming seasons.”
The county is eying large-scale automation to build unmanned farms and increase production. CHEN GUOSHUANG Senior Engineer, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences “This machine attracts pests and helps detect pest density. It analyzes the information and transmits it to the central monitoring platform in real time. If there is a large area of pest infestation, we will use drones to spray pesticides.”
The pilot farm will be equipped with intelligent systems for irrigation, fertilization, and pest control. This model is expected to be promoted on a large scale in the province. YU LI Gongzhuling, Jilin Province “In 2022, Jilin Province plans to cultivate over 3,600 square kilometers of high-standard farmland, bringing the total acreage to more than 30,000 square kilometers. High standard-farmland accounts for 53 percent of all land planted to grain in the province. YU LI, CGTN, GONGZHULING, JILIN PROVINCE.”
Source: This news is originally published by cgtn