Yunlin County introduces new-style potato harvester to solve the labor shortage dilemma

The Yunlin County Refined Agriculture Production Cooperative held a "Demonstration and Promotion Observation Meeting for the Introduction of Labor-Saving Machinery - New-Style Potato Harvester" on the morning of the 19th in the fields of Dapuwei, Citong Township. The new-style harvester can simultaneously carry out digging, sifting, collecting and removing stones and soil, with a harvesting operation area of more than 1 fen of land per hour, effectively solving the labor shortage dilemma in rural areas.

Zhang Xinfu, chairman of the Yunlin County Refined Agriculture Production Cooperative, stated that to complete harvesting 1 fen of land per hour by manual potato harvesting, at least 30 workers are needed, while the new-style potato harvester requires only 6 workers, greatly saving labor costs and improving the agricultural labor shortage problem.

Chairman Zhang Xinfu pointed out that the new-style potato space bag self-harvester is attached to a tractor, with a moderate cost of about 800,000-plus yuan, and can apply for a government subsidy of 2/3. The harvesting operation can simultaneously complete the removal of stems, roots and weeds, and is equipped with a hydraulic unloading device to prevent crops from being damaged during the harvesting process.

In order to promote and guide the introduction of labor-saving agricultural grain machinery and equipment, the Council of Agriculture formulated the "Demonstration and Promotion Plan for Guiding the Introduction of Labor-Saving Agricultural Grain Machinery and Equipment," so that farmers (groups) in need can apply. By encouraging operators to introduce foreign commercial agricultural machinery suitable for the agricultural grain industry and not produced domestically, those who pass the review are subsidized in principle at two-thirds of the purchase price, with a maximum subsidy of 6 million yuan per unit. After testing confirms suitability for domestic industry use, demonstration and promotion are carried out to accelerate domestic promotion and application and alleviate the domestic agricultural labor shortage problem.