In a significant move to bolster China’s agricultural prowess, Heilongjiang province, the country’s largest agricultural producer, has reaffirmed its commitment to leveraging technology for high-quality agricultural development. This announcement came from provincial deputies to the National People’s Congress during a group discussion in Beijing on Friday.
Heilongjiang Governor Liang Huiling underscored the province’s distinctive advantages, particularly its location within one of the world’s three major black soil belts. This unique geographical feature positions Heilongjiang as an ideal region for corn cultivation and livestock farming. Last year, the province achieved a remarkable total grain output of 80 billion kilograms, securing its position as China’s top grain producer for the 15th consecutive year. This output accounts for 11.3 percent of the country’s total grain production, meaning “One out of every nine bowls of rice nationwide comes from Heilongjiang,” as Liang noted.
The province is strategically focusing on modern agriculture to convert its resource advantages into tangible industrial, economic, and developmental benefits. Technological innovation is at the heart of Heilongjiang’s agricultural strategy. With 78 higher education institutions and 120 independent research institutes, including four national key laboratories dedicated to agriculture, the province is well-equipped to drive forward agricultural advancements. Liang emphasized that agricultural technology contributes a substantial 70.8 percent to the province’s farming sector.
Preserving the black soil, often referred to as the “panda of arable land” due to its high nutrient content, is another critical focus. Most of China’s black soil is concentrated in the northeast, making Heilongjiang vital for national food security. Last year, the province developed 693,333 hectares of high-standard farmland, integrating soil improvement with windbreak forest networks. With nearly 1.33 million hectares of such farmland, Heilongjiang leads the country in this area and aims to build nearly 780,000 more hectares this year.
Beidahuang Group, the world’s largest State-owned farm group based in Heilongjiang, is at the forefront of this technological revolution. The group is rapidly advancing informatization, digitalization, intelligence, and unmanned farming. Yu Jia’ao, Party secretary of Beidahuang’s Baoquanling branch, highlighted their collaboration with the Harbin Institute of Technology and Northeast Agricultural University to establish a national key laboratory for smart agricultural technology and information. Currently, 40 percent of Beidahuang’s agricultural machinery is equipped with automatic driving technology, and over 90 percent of its farms collect field data through sensors, transitioning from weather-dependent farming to data-driven operations.
Yu urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to support soybean research in Heilongjiang, including the construction of a soybean seed base and coordination with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to accelerate the development of a soybean research center. Agriculture Minister Han Jun, who attended the discussion, responded positively, confirming that the ministry had approved the soybean seed base project and was working with relevant departments to commence construction. Additionally, a soybean research center in Heihe city has been included in the ministry’s project list, with preliminary design and budget reviews underway.
