Spring ploughing underway across China to provide strong start on the way to securing bumper harvests

Staff members distribute and deliver agricultural production materials at a smart warehouse for a company in Feidong county, Hefei city, east China's Anhui Province, Feb. 16, 2022. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

A meeting recently held by China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) outlined the all-out efforts of the country to ensure smooth progress for the key work regarding agricultural production in the run-up to the spring season, including farmland management in the spring, preparatory work for spring ploughing and sowing, and expansion of the production of soybean and oil plants.

Currently, spring ploughing is underway in many places across China. At an agricultural production materials warehouse for a company based in Feidong county, Hefei city, east China's Anhui Province, staff members were busy distributing and delivering various agricultural production materials.

"During the spring ploughing season this year, our warehouse can handle more than 200 metric tons of agricultural production materials on a daily basis, up 120 percent compared with the slack farming season," introduced the head of the warehouse.

About 940 million mu (626,667 square kilometers) of fields will be planted with crops during the spring ploughing season, accounting for more than half of the total area for ploughing throughout the year, according to Lyu Xiutao, deputy head of the Department of Crop Production with the MARA.

Customs staff members in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province inspect imported vegetable seeds. (Photo courtesy of the General Administration of Customs of China)

Credible sources indicated that there are sufficient supplies of agricultural production materials for the spring ploughing season. The planting pattern is stable and relevant preparatory work for the spring ploughing and sowing season is being advanced in an orderly manner.

Recently, the customs department of Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province has seen a surging volume of imported materials for agricultural production and animal husbandry.

"The customs staff members will carry out quarantine inspection over the imported seeds upon their arrival to guarantee that the seeds can be delivered to farmers as quickly as possible," noted an executive from an international logistics company based in the city.

Photo shows drones spraying pesticides on rapeseed plants in a field in Hekou village, Huzhou city, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 4, 2022. (Photo/People's Daily Online)

The customs department in Lianyungang city of east China's Jiangsu Province has launched a special mechanism to reduce the customs clearance time for agricultural production materials and to make sure that the products can be delivered to farmers in a timely manner.

An official stressed at the MARA meeting that technological and policy support will be strengthened so as to push for three-dimensional agricultural cultivation, develop a complete industrial chain, build smart supporting facilities and improve land use efficiency.

"This year, we aim to guarantee the production of summer grains, develop oil crops, and secure a bumper harvest, making sure that the grain cultivation throughout the year stands at 1.17 million square kilometers and above, and meeting an annual grain production target of 650 million metric tons and above," said Lyu.