How Five Treasures Town Embraces Modern Techniques for Bountiful Potato Harvest
In the early hours of April 13th, as the sun peeked over the mountains, the fields of Wubao Village in Wubao Town buzzed with activity. Villagers, clad in comfortable and dirt-resistant attire, donned their sun hats and gloves, preparing for a day of labor. Soon, several agricultural machines arrived, their engines roaring to life.
“Let’s start harvesting from this area in the morning. Everyone, work swiftly and attentively, ensuring no potatoes are left behind,” instructed Peng Changming, the president of the Anjie Agricultural Machinery Cooperative in Gongjing District, as he stood atop a ridge, simultaneously directing the operation and recording the villagers’ names.
As the potato harvesting season entered full swing in Wubao Town, spanning thousands of acres, villagers seized the opportunity of clear skies. Employing a combination of machinery and manual labor, they eagerly gathered the “golden nuggets” from their fields, presenting a picturesque scene of abundance.
“We are currently harvesting the newly introduced variety, ‘Hisen 4.’ This year, we experimented with staggered planting, sowing 4,000 acres a month earlier. The results seem promising,” remarked Peng Changming to reporters. Thanks to favorable rainfall, the average potato yield per acre in Wubao Town reached 6,500 kilograms. With early market entry, orders bound for Chengdu were priced at 1.5 yuan per kilogram, an increase of 0.5 yuan compared to previous years.
Peng Changming elaborated that the first batch of winter potatoes cultivated in the plantation and surrounding farms had begun comprehensive mechanized harvesting. “With one potato harvester, we can cover 30 acres in a day. The initial 4,000 acres of winter potatoes can be harvested within two months,” he explained. Mechanized harvesting not only reduces the cost of damaged potatoes compared to manual labor but also significantly shortens the harvesting period, effectively addressing the challenges of rising labor costs and seasonal labor shortages in agricultural production.
In the harvesting team, Luo Qiong worked diligently, sorting and bagging potatoes with efficiency. In a short time, under her busy hands, a large bag of potatoes was neatly packed. Luo Qiong, a resident of Wangjia Village in Wubao Town, has been readily available whenever the Anjie Agricultural Machinery Cooperative needed extra hands. From planting to harvesting, she is proficient in every aspect of potato cultivation.
“I’ve been working here for over ten years. I can earn 100 yuan a day, plus the leased land, which adds up to over 10,000 yuan a year. It’s better than farming my own land,” Luo Qiong shared with reporters as she busied herself with potato collection.
Rural revitalization starts with industrial advancement. In recent years, leveraging the local autumn and winter climate and the characteristics of red and purple soil, Wubao Town has conducted research and application of new potato planting technologies. This initiative achieves two harvests a year, filling the market gap from January to April with fresh potatoes. Moreover, the introduction of high-quality, resistant, high-yield, and delicious autumn and winter potato varieties, such as “Hisen 3” and “Hisen 4,” has not only created numerous job opportunities for surrounding villagers but also significantly boosted their enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, realizing the goal of revitalizing industries and enriching the local population.
