Zengcheng in S China's Guangzhou pursues high-quality development of agriculture

Zengcheng district is the largest agricultural production base in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, as well as an important provider of agricultural products to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Photo shows seeds of Simiao rice in Zengcheng district of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo/Yangcheng Evening News)

In recent years, Zengcheng has vigorously pursued high-level development of the agriculture sector and pushed ahead with rural revitalization. The cultivation of "Simiao" rice, a well-known rice variety in Zengcheng, epitomizes the district's efforts to develop modern agriculture.

To effectively cultivate rice, Zengcheng has rolled out a 5G-enabled intelligent information platform, which can collect information about the rice fields and then control the environment of the rice fields based on the data. The farm work, including building the rice fields, transplanting rice seedlings, applying fertilizers and pesticides and reaping rice, is done by intelligent machinery.

A modern agricultural industrial park dedicated to the cultivation of Simiao rice is under construction in Zhucun neighborhood of Zengcheng. Guangzhou Kewang Industrial Co. Ltd., an implementing party of the agricultural industrial park, has built a standardized rice plantation covering nearly 200 hectares.

Photo shows cultural and creative products inspired by Simiao rice. (Photo/Yangcheng Evening News)

The company's rice plantation can help more than 5,300 local rice growers increase their income as they also get involved in the business by planting over 666.7 hectares of rice. The rice produced here is of high quality and can be sold for more than 60 yuan ($8.73) per kilogram.

Zengcheng has been promoting integrated urban-rural development at an accelerated speed. Last June, the Guangzhou Zengcheng Modern Agricultural Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd. was founded, with its four major business units being modern agricultural industrial parks, distribution of agricultural products, financial services related to agriculture, and rural tourism.

In addition to smart farming, the company plans to establish a seed industrial park to explore in the field of molecular biology, said Hu Dunqi, deputy general manager of the Guangzhou Zengcheng Modern Agricultural Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd.

Photo shows a sand table model of a modern agricultural industrial park dedicated to cultivating Simiao rice in Zengcheng district of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo/Yangcheng Evening News)