Guiyang launches campaign to reduce corn harvest losses

A campaign to reduce corn losses during mechanized harvesting has been launched in Wangjiaping village, Xiaozhaiba town, Xifeng county, Guiyang. Agricultural machinery experts, technicians, and machine operators from provincial, municipal, and county-level agricultural authorities gathered in the fields for hands-on training and technical exchanges.

At the event, machine operators demonstrated harvesting with combine harvesters and shared tips on reducing losses, including maintaining an appropriate operating speed and adjusting the cutting platform to the proper height. Technicians also demonstrated routine maintenance and troubleshooting of harvesting machinery. Agricultural machinery specialists conducted on-site loss monitoring in accordance with relevant standards by collecting samples, weighing grains, and calculating loss rates, providing a practical understanding of loss-reduction techniques and standards.

According to the organizers, every 1-percentage-point reduction in mechanized harvesting losses can save about 4 to 6 kilograms of grain per mu (0.07 hectares). Based on Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area's 1.35 million mu of grain-growing area, this could save an estimated 5,400 to 8,100 metric tons of grain.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Guiyang's comprehensive mechanization rate for major crops rose by 15 percentage points to 63.25 percent in 2025.