Mechanization leads to bountiful potato harvest

Shuangyong village of Shuangliu town in Kaiyang county, Guiyang, recently welcomed a bumper harvest of potatoes. With the roar of harvesters filling the air, potatoes are unearthed at a rapid clip.  

Potatoes are easy to plant, easy to manage, high-yielding, and highly adaptable. They have a large market demand and quick returns, which is why they have always been one of the main economic crops for farmers in Shuangliu town.

"In the past, digging potatoes was all done manually, which was very labor-intensive, slow, and often resulted in damaged specimens. Using a potato harvester, the process of separating potatoes from the soil can be completed in just three to five minutes. This not only increases the yield but also ensures the quality of the potatoes," said villager Lei Jianjun. Mechanical harvesting saves costs and improves the quality of the harvest.

With the "hardware" upgrades, the "software" has also kept pace. "Government agricultural technicians frequently visit the fields to teach us how to use agricultural machinery, production techniques, and other practical information," said Xie Wenguang, a villager in Shuangyong village.

Moving forward, the town will continue to rely on the cultivation of specialty industries such as potatoes, peppers, and cabbage. It will strengthen training of planting techniques and field management, enhance the promotion of high-quality agricultural products, promote the mechanization of agricultural industries, and continuously expand channels for increasing farmers' incomes.

A harvester unearths potatoes in the field. [Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]