Major households in Lingling, Hunan Province -gather together- and autumn and winter seed production is in full swing
In the heart of October, the fields of the Qixia Street in the Lingling District of Yongzhou, Hunan Province, are buzzing with activity. Tractors are tilling the land in preparation for this year’s autumn and winter planting season.
“We plan to cultivate 630 acres of vegetables to supply the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area this season. So far, we’ve already prepared over 320 acres of land through mechanized farming, and we expect to start widespread planting by late October,” says prominent farmer Zheng Ruowen.
Since the recent onset of autumn, the Lingling District has prioritized autumn and winter crop production. They have implemented various strategies including leading by example with experienced farmers, forming cooperatives, and ensuring unified seed quality and large-scale planting, especially for key crops like rapeseed and vegetables.
In the Tangdi Township, locals are actively planting rapeseed and vegetables, mobilizing over ten tractors and hundreds of villagers daily for land preparation. Large-scale farms account for more than 70% of the planting efforts. Meanwhile, in the Fudian area of the Youting Township, villagers are busy with fertilization and sowing, having successfully planted 2,600 acres of vegetables and prepared 5,000 acres for rapeseed, alongside nurturing over 100 acres for seedlings.
Currently, 15 townships and streets in Lingling have established leadership groups for autumn and winter crop production. More than 600 village and township officials, along with agricultural specialists, have been dispatched to assist farmers with specific planting challenges.
At this moment, over 360 cooperative farmers are engaged in the autumn and winter crop production, securing a planting area of 445,600 acres. This includes 242,000 acres of rapeseed and 140,000 acres of vegetables, representing increases of over 5% and 8%, respectively, from last year.
In recent years, Lingling has invested significantly, developing over 400,000 acres of high-standard farmland. They have constructed 148 tractor paths, 129 irrigation channels, and 32 drainage canals, while creating 30,000 acres of efficient water-saving farmland and modernizing over 20,000 acres of basic farmland. As a result, the mechanization rate for rice field tillage has surpassed 85%, paving the way for a successful autumn and winter planting season.