China advances agricultural machinery innovation to boost grain production

High-tech and intelligent machinery is empowering agricultural production in China, becoming a key driver in ensuring bumper harvests.

In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, workers at Jiamusi Jichi Tractor Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. are busy on the production line for a batch of tractors scheduled for delivery before New Year's Day. Meanwhile, the research and development of the company's new high-end tractors is also underway.

"We are currently developing a 400-horsepower hybrid, stepless transmission tractor, which features high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and intelligence, making it a heavy-duty piece of equipment suitable for demanding agricultural tasks," said Yang Haiyan, the company's R and D project manager.

The company has also been collaborating with universities and research institutions within the province to ensure the reliability of the tractors.

"We've partnered with research and development groups from Harbin Engineering University and Harbin University of Science and Technology to focus on electronic control systems and energy management. Meanwhile, we've joined forces with more than a dozen leading component suppliers to ensure the performance and reliability of the critical parts," said Yang.

As the core region of high-end intelligent agricultural machinery in Heilongjiang, Jiamusi City hosts 53 agricultural machinery companies, including 23 enterprises above the designated size (those each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan or 2.8 million U.S. dollars), forming a complete industrial cluster from key components to full machine manufacturing.

"Domestic agricultural machinery now accounts for over 90 percent of the market share in Jiamusi," said Shi Yufeng, section chief of the Agricultural Mechanization Management Section under Jiamusi Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

"The improvement in mechanization has not only freed up manpower but also promoted the standardization of grain production. For example, in mechanized seeding, using machinery instead of manual methods has enhanced seed placement quality, thus increasing seedling emergence rates and ultimately boosting crop yields," said Ding Ran, deputy director of the Agricultural Mechanization Management Office under Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

In 2025, Heilongjiang Province deployed 187,000 high-performance seeders for spring plowing, an increase of 15,000 from the previous year. The area covered by these seeders reached about 9.13 million hectares, an increase of 513,000 hectares from the previous year, effectively boosting grain production.

China advances agricultural machinery innovation to boost grain production

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's natural gas production is projected to reach 300 billion cubic meters by 2030, according to a development report released in Beijing.

The report, covering the development of China's oil and gas industry during the country's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), said proven geological reserves rose by 7 billion tons of oil and 7 trillion cubic meters of gas, up 43 percent and 40 percent respectively from the previous five-year period. Oil and gas production hit record highs.

"The oil output is likely to reach between 215 and 216 million tons this year. Natural gas has seen major growth during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), with annual domestic output rising by nearly 13 billion cubic meters. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), we expect annual increases of more than 10 billion cubic meters, reaching 300 billion cubic meters around 2030," said Wu Mouyuan, deputy director of the Economics and Technology Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

The report forecast that China's energy structure will feature less coal, stable oil and gas, and rising non-fossil fuels over the next decade.

By 2060, fossil fuels are expected to account for 23 percent of the energy mix, hydropower and nuclear 19 percent, wind 25 percent, and solar 30 percent, the report said.

"In the next five years, through the integrated development of fossil energy and renewables, we will achieve a heathy, stable, and resilient energy system. Clean energy will continue to grow rapidly. More than 90 percent of renewable energy will be consumed via electricity, so the electrification at end-use sectors is a key direction of transformation in the future," said Wu.

With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and new high-energy industries, China's power demand will exceed 20 trillion kilowatt hours by 2060, double the 2025 level. Electrification at end-use sectors is expected to reach 62 percent, rising by nearly one percentage point annually, the report projected.

China to see gas output hitting 300 bcm by 2030: report