A machine demonstrates its operations at the Shuangyan Tea Garden in Wuyi county, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' agricultural mechanization station hosted an event in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, on March 7, to promote agricultural machinery for hilly regions.
The event featured three observation points in Wuyi county: the Shuangyan Tea Garden, the Longmen Shuangyan Agricultural Service Center, and the Wuyi Innovative Edible Fungus Co. Over 50 sets of agricultural machinery designed for hilly terrains were on display, including hillside tractors and machinery for orchards and tea farms.
Demonstrations focused on steep slope transportation, unmanned field operations, and low-altitude lifting. Unitree Robotics' robot dog, carrying agricultural materials, easily navigated a 45-degree slope, while a high-speed rice transplanter equipped with the Beidou Navigation Satellite System achieved precise positioning in sloping paddy fields, working at an impressive rate of 0.4-0.6 hectares per hour.
Additionally, an agricultural drone lifting system accurately delivered 70 kilograms of organic fertilizer to a mountain-top tea garden. Many of these innovations were developed in the past two years, including the debut of Unitree Robotics' robot dog for steep slopes.
Most of the displayed achievements were from projects led or participated in by Zhejiang, particularly involving Jinhua's efforts. The self-propelled pruning and harvesting machine in tea gardens triples the efficiency of traditional tea-picking methods and offers significant cost savings, while the new digging and cultivating machine addresses longstanding challenges in hilly mountain tea cultivation.
This event underscored the transformative impact of agricultural mechanization on traditional farming practices, which enhances productivity and income opportunities for farmers in hilly regions.
