BEIJING – China’s summer grain harvest campaign has entered its peak season as wheat-producing regions from south to north mobilize resources to secure crops before unfavorable weather. Advanced meteorological systems are playing a pivotal role in this annual agricultural operation, with Anhui and Henan provinces leading the technological charge.
Anhui’s Digital Harvest Strategy
In Anhui, where 4.3 million hectares of wheat are nearly harvested, agricultural and meteorological departments collaborate through real-time monitoring systems. The province operates 65 high-standard farmland weather stations and 85 automated soil moisture monitors, generating over ten types of daily agricultural guidance products with 1-kilometer precision.
“Our five-day advance harvest suitability forecasts enabled precise deployment of 300,000 combine harvesters during the critical May 26-30 window,” said Ju Shucun, senior agrometeorologist at Anhui Meteorological Bureau. This coordination accelerated harvest progress by 40 percentage points compared to 2023.
Henan’s Hourly Updates
Neighboring Henan province has implemented hourly weather briefings during the harvest period. “We update 72-hour forecasts twice daily with hourly breakdowns,” explained Qi Yiling, chief forecaster at Henan Meteorological Observatory. These granular predictions help farmers time field operations between rainfall.
Seamless Transition to Planting
As wheat collection concludes, farmers immediately shift to summer planting. In Hefei’s Feidong County, large-scale grower Liu Rui reported one-third of rice already transplanted. Anhui has completed 40% of its summer planting (mainly corn and peanuts), while Henan reaches 30% (primarily rice and corn).
The coordinated harvest-planting operation demonstrates China’s growing sophistication in agricultural meteorology and machinery management, ensuring food security through climate-smart practices. With extreme weather increasing globally, such precision farming systems are becoming essential for maintaining stable grain output.
Related Topic:
- Udmurt Republic in Russia Launches Dumpling – Themed Culinary Tours
- Dragon Boat Festival Economy Booms as Chinese Cultural Trend Captivates Global Audiences
- International Children’s Day: A Legacy of Protection and Hope
