China Focus: Tech innovation reshapes China's granary heartland, bolstering food security

HARBIN, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Across the fertile black soil of Heilongjiang, autonomous tractors work tirelessly, while intelligent drones fly overhead to monitor crop growth.

Powered by smart farming solutions, technological upgrading is reshaping the heartland of China's granary in the province, bolstering the country's food security.

As China's top grain-producing province for 16 consecutive years, Heilongjiang in northeast China prioritizes agricultural technological innovation to sustain high and stable grain yields and improve farming efficiency and returns.

In Harbin, the provincial capital, technicians from Heilongjiang DEWO Technology Development Co., Ltd. continuously develop and upgrade precision seeders equipped with real-time operational monitoring systems.

Founded in 2009, DEWO is a market leader in China's R&D of full-process potato planting, sowing and harvesting machinery. "The company has maintained full-capacity operation since April to customize precision seeding equipment, which directly underpins planting efficiency," said Wang Chunyan, the company's general manager.

Officially designated as a national pilot zone for the research and development, manufacturing and promotion of large-scale high-end agricultural machinery, Heilongjiang leads the country in the high-quality development of the domestic farm equipment industry. Through technological innovation, the region is driving comprehensive efficiency upgrades for modern agriculture.

DEWO, as a national-level high-tech enterprise, is among a group of tech firms based in Heilongjiang that contribute to empowering the country's agricultural modernization.

Heilongjiang Huida Technology Co., Ltd., another high-tech company in the province, produces a full lineup of smart agricultural machines including crop-protection drones and intelligent integrated water-fertilizer irrigation systems.

Its flagship product, an aerial spraying drone, is priced at just over 40,000 yuan (about 5,926 U.S. dollars). It can fly up to 13 minutes with a full payload of over 70 kilograms, and cover large tracts of farmland in 10 minutes. After only a 10-minute charge, the battery can go from zero to 80 percent and is ready to power the machine back into the fields.

Zhang Yu, chairman of Huida, noted that over 300 of the company's 700 employees work in R&D. The firm is focusing on the R&D of unmanned agricultural vehicles and farming robots, while optimizing after-sales service systems.

"We aim to advance global smart agriculture and deliver more Chinese solutions for digital farming worldwide," Zhang said.

Huida's drone products have been exported to 60 countries and regions, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Indonesia and Vietnam.

DEWO's international sales manager He Chunling said China-made agricultural machines are empowering farms around the world. In Kazakhstan, farmers have used the company's equipment for spring plowing and potato planting. Local customers have seen a steady increase in potato yields after switching to planters equipped with fertilizer systems.

"It has wide power adaptability and strong regional applicability," He said. DEWO's potato planter has been exported to Russia, Kazakhstan, Peru and Zimbabwe.

Since launching an industrial plant in Harbin in 2014, Case New Holland (CNH), a global agriculture and construction equipment producer, has adhered to a development strategy rooted in Heilongjiang, serving the Chinese market and exporting farm equipment around the world.

"Heilongjiang serves as the cornerstone of China's national food security, offering vast market potential for agricultural machinery manufacturers," said Li Kang, president of CNH China and Mongolia.

Heilongjiang accelerated the upgrading and intelligent transformation of agricultural machinery during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Heilongjiang governor Liang Huiling said earlier this year.

Heilongjiang boasts 676,000 intelligent agricultural machines, ranking first nationwide. The province also leads the country in both the application and operational coverage of crop-protection drones.

Heilongjiang has developed 20 unmanned smart farms, and launched China's first AI laser weeding robot, which is now being widely deployed across local fields.

The province has achieved a comprehensive crop mechanization rate of 99.28 percent for plowing, sowing and harvesting, maintaining its position as the nation's leader in the sector.

In 2025, Heilongjiang saw its 22nd bumper harvest with a record-breaking grain output of 82 million tonnes.

Liang said in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Heilongjiang will foster industrial clusters focused on agricultural robots, intelligent farming equipment and low-altitude economy. ■