China has announced an ambitious plan to achieve a higher level of mechanization for its three staple grain crops — wheat, rice, and corn — by the year 2030.

According to a new blueprint called the "15th Five-Year Plan for National Agricultural Mechanization Development," jointly released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the nation's overall mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting is expected to surpass 80% by 2030. This initiative marks a significant step toward modernizing the country's agricultural sector.

The plan outlines comprehensive goals, including substantial progress in high-quality agricultural mechanization. In plain regions, the efficiency and quality of crop mechanization are projected to improve further, while the combined mechanization rate for cultivation, planting, and harvesting in hilly and mountainous areas is targeted to reach at least 75%. Beyond field crops, the initiative also calls for accelerated development in mechanization for livestock and aquaculture, as well as primary processing of agricultural products.

Embracing technological innovation, the plan emphasizes the widespread application of new technologies and equipment, such as artificial intelligence and new energy sources, within agricultural mechanization. It also seeks to significantly bolster the capacity for socialized farming machinery services and strengthen capabilities for disaster prevention, reduction, and relief in agricultural operations.

To enhance the supply of advanced and suitable products, the plan details several measures. These include continuously refining the catalog of agricultural machinery demand, fostering the growth of high-level manufacturing enterprises, and encouraging companies from sectors like engineering machinery, automotive, and electronics to enter the agricultural machinery market. The plan also promotes the creation of industrial clusters for agricultural equipment and encourages integrated research, production, promotion, and application efforts, all while reinforcing the foundational aspects of machinery R&D and manufacturing.

A key focus of the plan is addressing bottlenecks in pilot testing and commercial application. It calls for a full upgrade of testing and validation capabilities, accelerating the commercial adoption of innovative products, and expediting the deployment of advanced, suitable machinery in the field. Policy coordination between "subsidies for superior machinery" and "operational subsidies" will be strengthened to facilitate the rapid iteration and upgrading of existing equipment.

To expand the scope and scenarios for agricultural machinery applications and foster new industries and business formats, the plan outlines strategies to cultivate a low-altitude economy within the agricultural sector. This includes leveraging artificial intelligence to empower agricultural mechanization, improving mechanization levels in hilly and mountainous regions, speeding up mechanization for livestock, aquaculture, and primary product processing, and deepening international cooperation in the agricultural machinery industry.

Finally, in a bid to elevate the quality and effectiveness of mechanized agricultural production and strengthen disaster resilience, the plan emphasizes improving the quality of mechanized operations in key processes, reinforcing the development of socialized machinery service organizations, and enhancing the industry's overall capacity for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief.