Tech helps agriculture record new highs

The level of innovation in agricultural science and technology in China is among the highest in the world and the agricultural modernization has made huge strides during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday.

Zhang Xingwang, a vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, announced breakthroughs in the field of core agricultural science and technology. He said researchers have developed new genes that are extremely valuable for crop yield and animal breeding, and have created sensors to predict soil nutrient content and monitor animal behavior.

"Over 95 percent of grain acreage now uses domestically developed seed varieties," Zhang said. Newly developed genes produce high-yield rice, high-oil soybean, as well as white-feather broiler chickens that were once imported. Furthermore, advanced farm machinery has been deployed nationwide over the past years, he added.

Meanwhile, new technologies are reaching farms more quickly as more than 400,000 grassroots agricultural technicians are providing services year-round.

Han Jun, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said that as of the end of last year, technological advancement had become a key driver for grain harvest, with its contribution rate rising to 63.2 percent. The comprehensive mechanization rate from crop planting to harvesting exceeded 75 percent, marking a new stage in agricultural modernization.

Moreover, grain production has remained stable and resilient over the past years. Last year, the output reached a record 700 million metric tons, with per capita grain supply standing at 500 kilograms, Han said.

China has launched a large-scale initiative to boost the per-hectare yield of staple crops by promoting techniques such as dense planting and precision seeding. This year, pilot programs in 702 counties have helped transfer high yields of grain and oil crops from test plots into farmlands.

Grain planting area has also expanded, rising by more than 2.53 million hectares since 2020 to reach 119.3 million hectares last year. This year, with summer and early rice harvests stable and autumn crops in good condition, officials expect to meet the annual target of 700 million tons.

The ministry has also worked to adjust crop structure to meet consumer demand and reduce reliance on imports, Han said. Domestic soybean production rose to 20.65 million tons last year, with self-sufficiency up four percentage points from 2020.

Maierdan Mugaiti, a vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said the country's capacity of livestock and poultry production has significantly improved. Meat, eggs and dairy production totaled 175 million tons last year, up nearly 19 percent from 2020, with per capita annual consumption all above the global average.

Annual output of facility-grown vegetables has exceeded 200 million tons, while China's edible mushroom production in greenhouses now accounts for 85 percent of the global supply.

Green development in the agriculture sector was also highlighted, as agricultural water use has declined by 3.6 billion cubic meters annually while fertilizer and pesticide use has also been falling steadily. In 2024, fertilizer use was down 5 percent from 2020 to around 50 million tons, and pesticide use in crop production decreased by 1.5 percent, according to the ministry.

zhaoyimeng@chinadaily.com.cn