China willing to help in digital farming for agriculture revolution in Pakistan

BEIJING: China is willing to share its experience and help integrate information technology and agriculture to bring about a green revolution in Pakistan.

Facing the common challenge of climate change, pandemic, and population growth, a smarter agriculture is the way forward for many countries, including China.

“The integration of information technology and agriculture will bring about the third green revolution: agricultural digital revolution,” said Zhao Chunjiang from China’s National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture. “By 2025, China’s digital agro economy will exceed $100 billion.”

In the past, farmers laboured for hours in the fields. But now farm work can be done with internet systems, said a staff member of the exhibitor, Ningxia Green Pioneer (Lvxianfeng) Agricultural Mechanical Services Company, which has transformed local farming model with drones, precision hole-sowing machine, driverless harvesters and plant protecting devices, remote surveillance equipment, etc, supported by the Internet of Things, cloud technology, big data, etc.

“Spraying at a speed of 4.5 metres a second, each drone can complete what was used to be done by 25 to 30 workers/day, saving 80 per cent water, 30 per cent cost of plant protection, and 20 per cent to 25 per cent pesticides,”

The company staff was introduced to the China Economic Net. “They can be used in rice, wheat, and maize. Take rice as an example, about $60 can be saved for each hectare.”

To better take advantage of the efficient digital equipment that excels on vast stretches of land, the company takes a step further to push forward scale operation by bringing the scattered lands together through land trusteeship, transfer, and shareholding.

A remote monitoring command service centre has been set up for visible, standard, and digital farming. Soil, seedlings, pests, diseases, and disasters are monitored, early warnings are sent in case of abnormalities, and automatic solutions can be identified. From sowing, cultivating, to harvesting, the crops grow under close and accurate supervision.

“Under this whole-process land trusteeship, $230 can be saved per hectare,” the company staff said.

“Not all farmers trust in this new model at the beginning, but after getting to know and see what it can achieve, they started to acknowledge its benefits.”

If there is a chance, we are willing to join the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the company staff added.

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