China to push forward agricultural mechanization

The State Council released a circular on Dec 29, giving instructions on upgrading farm machinery.

Agricultural mechanization lays the foundation for transforming the agricultural development mode, and a strong buttress for implementing the rural revitalization drive, the circular said.

The cabinet decided to push forward the agricultural mechanization in a comprehensive way with high-quality and Chinese characteristics, according to the circular.

By the year 2020, the innovation capability of the agricultural machinery industry will make constant strides, with the machines’ gross power nationwide exceeding 1 billion kilowatts; by the year 2025, a complete category of agricultural machinery will be developed with quality of international level and gross power around 1.1 billion, as stated in the circular.

To push forward a high-quality development of the agricultural machinery industry, an innovation system should be established with the market as orientation. Moreover, an inter-coordinated industrial chain and the industrial structure layout should be optimized while building a quality inspection system with a unified standard.

To promote mechanization during the entire production process of main crops, concentrated efforts will be given to the weak link, for example, the mechanized planting and harvest of rapeseed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The efficiency of the mechanized system also is emphasized. Crops that adapt to mechanized planting and that are easy to be cultivated should be selected and promoted so the good seeds, methods, land and machines can work together to pave the way for mechanization.

Greater efforts will be made to promote agricultural machinery and the techniques, including tools that are green and highly-efficient, and smart agriculture that uses the internet of things, big data, and satellite positioning.

Socialized services around the agricultural machinery will be boosted, such as service from cooperatives, family farms and enterprises that have agricultural machines. They are encouraged to innovate their service mechanism, providing various services.

According to the circular, efforts will be made to facilitate operation of agricultural machines by building high-standard farmlands, and implement policies relating to facility lands, construction lands for agricultural operation and agricultural electricity use.

Also, the circular stressed improvement of the system to grow agricultural talent, enhance agricultural engineering discipline, encourage universities to set up related majors and to focus on training new-type professional farmers.

Related departments and provincial-level governments are urged to promote agricultural mechanization for rural revitalization, the circular said.