Mechanization is the main symbol of modern agriculture and will
greatly improve the living conditions of farmers, according to Xu
Kuangdi, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Xu was
speaking in Beijing over the weekend at the International Forum on
Development Strategy of Agricultural Equipment and Mechanization in
Less Developed Regions.
Organized by the academy and the United Nations' Asia Pacific
Center for Agricultural Engineering and Mechanization, the forum
promotes international technical exchanges and cooperation in
agricultural mechanization.
"The largest developing country in the world, China has entered
an important stage in fostering modern agriculture to contribute to
the comprehensive well-being of society," said Xue Liang, chief
economist of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Considered a great innovation for Chinese farmers, the
interregional wheat-harvesting model has gained popularity in rural
areas and greatly improved efficiency.
During the wheat harvesting seasons, combines travel hundreds of
kilometers, bringing crops in as they go. A high-performance
combine can cover 200-270 hectares and operate for as long as 40
days.
The efficient interregional harvesting model, designed
specifically for the small-scale farming systems of China, has also
attained a high utilization rate for agricultural equipment. The
average farm household has only 0.52 hectares of cultivated land,
less than one-fortieth of that in Europe and one-four-hundredth of
that in the United States.
Now the model is being extended to other field crops such as
paddy rice, and the application area reaching across the
nation.
Similar technological innovation and transfers have intensified
in China in recent years, remarkably improving the research and
manufacturing level of agricultural equipment. Meanwhile,
governments at all levels have adopted policies supporting the
development of agricultural mechanization. Agricultural producers
are provided incentives to manufacture farm machinery, which
encourages farmers to purchase such equipment.
Additionally, the Standing Committee of the 10th National
People's Congress has approved the Law on Promotion of Agricultural
Mechanization, which will go into effect on November 1.
(China Daily October 18, 2004)