Across China: Tech innovation propels China's rural vitalization drive

XI'AN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Despite strict anti-epidemic measures, Li Xiaoquan, 60, made it to the 28th China Yangling Agricultural High-tech Fair to catch a glimpse of new farm equipment displayed there.

Li, a farmer from Zhouzhi County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, had purchased a mini rotavator from the fair a year ago, which greatly helped him with the heavy workload in the farmland.

He came to the exhibition this year with a bag of kiwi fruits harvested from his farmland. He brought the fruits as a mark of gratitude for the exhibitor who had sold him the useful farming tool.

The annual expo, held in the Yangling Agricultural High-Tech Industrial Demonstration Zone, is one of the largest and most influential exhibitions displaying agricultural scientific and technological achievements in China.

The exhibition stand of Northwest A&F University (NWAFU), displaying a new high-yielding variety of wheat, attracted many visitors during this year's fair.

"This new breed of wheat features high density and large yield, which can greatly improve production efficiency," said Wang Yaping, an administrative staff member who is in charge of the university's technology promotion.

Boasting research advantages in fields such as genetic breeding of crops and pest control, the NWAFU in recent years has developed numerous new varieties of wheat and corn with excellent results.

To make use of these improved crops and help improve farmers' income, the NWAFU has set up experimental demonstration stations in 18 provinces and regions across the country, increasing annual revenue by over 20 billion yuan (about 3.13 billion U.S. dollars).

New varieties of crops and advanced agricultural equipment exhibited at the expo reflect China's achievements and commitment to promoting rural vitalization through tech innovation.

In this year's "No. 1 central document," the first policy statement released by China's central authorities every year, the country stressed efforts to strengthen its support to modern agriculture with the help of science, technology and equipment.

At a "plant factory" in an industrial zone, vegetables like lettuce, celery and tomatoes do not grow on the land but on shelves.

The plant factory uses full artificial light to promote the growth of crops independent of the natural environment, said Yang Zigang, a factory worker.

Elements such as light, temperature, water, gas and fertilizer are precisely controlled via computer in a closed environment, making agricultural production industrialized and automated, Yang said.

"Plant factories can be set up in snow-covered plateau, Gobi Desert and islands," he added. "Maybe this shows what agriculture will look like in the future."