Smart Data Reshaping Agriculture in Heilongjiang
China Daily | Updated: 2026-10-27 09:23
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HARBIN — As autumn winds sweep through fields of fragrant rice at a Beidahuang farm in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, grower Wei Guodong admires a freshly plucked panicle, revealing plump, gleaming grains.
"This year's harvest looks solid," he smiles.
The farm is part of Heilongjiang Agriculture Company, a major state-owned agribusiness in the province, listed under Beidahuang Group.
Earlier, during the seedling stage, the farm's greenhouses underwent a full-chain smart upgrade, reshaping rice production in a key grain-producing region.
Liu Dong, a manager at the 852 Farm branch, explains their investment in retrofitting greenhouses with sensors, automated film rollers, smart irrigation valves, and panoramic cameras. The system monitors soil pH, temperature, humidity, and light around the clock, allowing a single skilled technician to manage up to three greenhouses, cutting labor costs by about 60%.
Throughout the growing season, data-driven approaches protect crops from weeds, pests, and weather. An AI laser weeding robot, equipped with industrial cameras, distinguishes crops from weeds in milliseconds, covering about 5.3 to 6.7 hectares daily while minimizing herbicide use.
By harvest time, multispectral drones and ground instruments at Heshan Farm measure chlorophyll levels and soybean field maturity. Crosschecked with satellite remote sensing, these readings produce precise maturity maps, guiding optimal harvest timing.
"In the past, we relied on experience. Now we rely on data," says Liu Zhaokai, deputy head of the farm's agricultural development department.
These changes reflect Heilongjiang's wider push to integrate technology and modern farming, with the province's agricultural mechanization rate reaching the highest in China at 99.34%.
Nationally, smart agriculture has been a priority, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launching an action plan. By 2025, agricultural scientific and technological progress contributed over 64% to China's agricultural output.
For farmers like Wei, the change is tangible. While the rice's aroma remains unchanged, the way it was grown has evolved from tradition to data-driven algorithms and screens.
XINHUA
Photographs not included as per the requested format change.