High-tech farm automates vegetable planting, harvest in China's Zhejiang

The rainbow of vegetables on your salad plate might have been grown right here at a smart agriculture demonstration park in Deqing County of east China’s Zhejiang Province without a single human hand ever touching it.

Using cutting-edge technology, the park integrates AI with the Internet of Things to manage every step of crop production, from lettuce to arugula, with full-process smart control.

"This is an auto-transplanting machine that we’ve developed by ourselves. It is designed to replace manual labor in the transplanting process. In just 40 seconds, it can transplant 30 vegetable seedlings, boosting efficiency by over 70 percent. Along with automated transportation lines, cleaning machines, and our greenhouse environment control system, we’ve created a fully unmanned operation," said Hu Yaofeng, technical manager of Zhejiang Houji Intelligent Technology.

Researchers say these crops are free from pesticides and heavy metals, and yield five to seven times more than traditional open-field farming.

"These are Arugula seedlings. They can be transplanted in about 15 days of cultivation. As you can see, we have already had mature sesame plants outside that have been transplanted. These plants are usually ready for harvest in 25 to 30 days. After harvesting, we sell them to companies like Freshippo and Yum! Brands," Hu said.

From farm to shelf in record time, this high-tech harvest is supplying some of China’s biggest retailers and showcasing the future of agriculture.

It’s one the most important innovations on how China’s technology is driving the modernization of agriculture. And the goal is to deliver safer, healthier vegetables directly to your table.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday officially launched the operations of its regional center in Shanghai, China, headed by Johannes Wiegand, an IMF economist, as the director.

As one of the regional centers set up by the IMF worldwide, the IMF Shanghai Center is expected to enhance the IMF's engagement with the Asia-Pacific region, according to a statement from the IMF.

The center will serve as a hub to promote research and knowledge sharing that can inform policies in areas of relevance for emerging market and middle-income countries, said the statement.

It also aims at deepening dialogue and outreach with member countries, regional institutions, and other stakeholders in the region, according to the statement.