By love-89.com In an interview about agricultural advancements in Daya City, Hubei province, the local agricultural officials highlighted the region’s significance as a major rice production area, with over 400,000 acres dedicated to rice cultivation. They emphasized that as agricultural modernization progresses, the implementation of high-standard farmland construction is forming a solid foundation for increased grain yields. Currently, it’s the prime harvest season for local farmers.
The officials noted that the rice fields in Daya City are now ripe for harvesting, and advanced machinery is playing a crucial role in this process. The harvesters in use are equipped with Beidou positioning systems, allowing for high-precision tracking of their location and operations. This technology provides real-time data, ensuring a harvesting accuracy of up to one meter.
An operator explained how the monitoring screens show which areas have been harvested and which remain, as well as the harvesters’ current locations and routes. These insights are not only vital for determining grain subsidies but also help farmers manage their machinery more scientifically to optimize their harvest timing. Remarkably, five harvesters can completely harvest several hundred acres of rice in just one day, demonstrating enhanced efficiency and precision through mechanization and modern technology.
In discussing the significance of high-standard farmland, officials elaborated on the approach of consolidating smaller plots into larger fields. This practice, known as “combining small fields into large ones,” improves operational efficiency, as larger, flatter fields are easier to manage. Today, around 70% of Daya’s farmland meets these high standards.
Infrastructure improvements are also a key aspect of these modern practices. For instance, solar-powered insect traps are employed to drastically reduce pest occurrences by 60% and halve pesticide usage. In these advanced fields, every stage of rice cultivation—from planting and fertilizing to irrigation and harvesting—is now fully mechanized. This scientific management has enabled a local agricultural cooperative to maintain over 3,000 acres of rice fields with just two workers.
When asked about the economic benefits for farmers, an operator shared insights about a partnership with a local rice mill. As part of a pre-arranged agreement, farmers grow rice according to the mill’s specifications, which guarantees them a predetermined price for their harvest. A local farmer calculated that this cooperative model allows him to earn about 40-50 cents more per kilogram compared to the market rate, resulting in an extra 400 yuan per acre.
Looking ahead to 2024, the region anticipates cultivating rice on approximately 420,000 acres, with an estimated yield of 200,000 tons. Currently, more than 90% of the rice harvesting in Daya has been completed.