China's comprehensive agricultural mechanization level will exceed 61% this year
Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said on the 3rd that the comprehensive mechanization level of crop cultivation and harvesting nationwide will exceed 61% this year, and China's agricultural production has shifted from relying mainly on human and animal power to a historic new stage dominated by mechanization. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that by 2020, China's mechanization level of crop cultivation and harvesting is expected to rise to 70%.
China's comprehensive agricultural mechanization level will exceed 61% this year
Speaking at the “Symposium on the Tenth Anniversary of the Implementation of the Agricultural Mechanization Promotion Law”, Han Changfu said that in the ten years since the promulgation and implementation of the Agricultural Mechanization Promotion Law, China's agricultural mechanization has achieved leapfrog development, showing the characteristics of simultaneous progress in speed, quality and efficiency.
“In 2013, the comprehensive mechanization level of crop cultivation and harvesting nationwide reached 50%, and in 2014 it is expected to exceed 61%, an increase of 27 percentage points over ten years ago.” Han Changfu said that at present, the comprehensive mechanization rates of cultivation and harvesting for China's three major grain crops all exceed 75%, and wheat production has basically achieved full-process mechanization. The levels of mechanized rice planting and harvesting have risen from 6% and 27% ten years ago to 38% and 81% now, and the level of mechanized corn harvesting has increased from 2% to 55%.
In addition, agricultural machinery and equipment have also achieved total growth and structural optimization. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that in 2014, China's total agricultural machinery power is expected to reach 1.05 billion kilowatts, an increase of 410 million kilowatts, or 64%, over 2004, and the equipment structure is accelerating toward high-horsepower, multi-functional and high-performance development. The inventories of large and medium-sized tractors, combine harvesters and rice transplanters are 5 times, 3.7 times and 9.8 times those of ten years ago, respectively.
The development of agricultural mechanization has also driven the revitalization and development of China's agricultural machinery industry. At present, the total output value of China's agricultural machinery industry has maintained double-digit growth for ten consecutive years, increasing from 85.4 billion yuan in 2004 to 357.1 billion yuan in 2013, ranking first in the world. At present, China's agricultural machinery industry clusters have taken initial shape, the scientific and technological content, product quality and after-sales service levels have been continuously improved, and major agricultural machinery products can already meet more than 90% of domestic market demand.
The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that by 2020, China's mechanization level of crop cultivation and harvesting is expected to rise to 70%, the main links of grain production will basically achieve mechanization, and the field mechanization level of major cash crops such as grain, oil and sugar will also be greatly improved.