Action taken to get farmers back in fields

Jilin rolls out measures so that spring planting season can get underway

Authorities in Jilin province are putting measures in place to ensure that the current COVID-19 outbreak does not negatively affect a crucial time of year for the agricultural industry－planting season.

Jilin is one of the biggest corn producers in China and nearly five percent of the country's grain planting area is in the province, according to official data. The peak time for corn cultivation in northeastern Chinese provinces like Jilin usually falls in early May.

The province reported 973 locally transmitted, confirmed infections and 1,798 asymptomatic cases on Tuesday. Both figures were up from the previous day, according to the National Health Commission.

Lei Zhenglong, deputy director of the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control of the commission, said during a news briefing on Wednesday that the outbreak in Jilin is still developing, with the accumulative number of infections since early March exceeding 60,000.

Infections in the provincial capital Changchun continue to climb, while cases in the downtown area of the city of Jilin are trending downward, he added.

Regional lockdowns and travel restrictions are seen as essential to curbing the spread of the virus, and the lasting outbreak has prompted concern over potential disruptions to vital farm work in Jilin.

In order to enable farm workers stranded in the cities of Changchun and Jilin to return to the countryside to prepare for the spring planting season, provincial authorities released a plan on Monday to open a special channel for them to apply for travel.

All farm workers planning to leave their current neighborhoods must present a negative nucleic acid test result taken within 48 hours before their trip, as well as a negative antigen test taken on the day of departure. Close contacts of confirmed infections are still banned from leaving, according to the document.

"With the whole province at a crucial stage of epidemic control and the spring planting season approaching, the plan is aimed at ensuring efforts in both directions will not be disrupted," said Geng Jianren, a local health official.

The city of Jilin said on Wednesday that it will stagger group trips of returning farm workers to prevent large gatherings. The first group of farmers will begin their return trips from Wednesday to Friday.

In late March, the rural and agricultural affairs authority in Jilin also urged intensified efforts to survey the demand for seeds among farmers and guarantee their smooth supply along with other agricultural materials.

The authority added that favorable policies should be launched to help workers at seed companies return to their workplaces as soon as possible to resume production.

Li Zongguang, head of a rural cooperative in Nongan county, Changchun, said during an interview with China News Service that he was relieved that 30 metric tons of fertilizer is scheduled to arrive on time via designated trucks and drivers.

The cooperative that Li leads plans to plant 800 hectares of corn this year. He had placed an order for fertilizer early but was worried about the shipment after the virus broke out.

To address the issue, officials have set up five checkpoints along the perimeter of the county where designated local workers take the place of the incoming truck drivers from other regions to cover the last miles of delivery.

"Fertilizers are on the way. Seeds have already arrived and tractors and other agricultural machines have been checked," he said. "There is nothing for me to worry about."