Green models powering up specialty farms

"During the process of grain planting, processing and storage, the promotion and application of modern agricultural technologies such as drones, integrated watering and fertilizing equipment, and electric grain dryers all require strong support from the power grid," said Lu Man, chairwoman of Tianhe Ecological Agriculture Professional Cooperative in Jianhu county, Jiangsu province.

Lu said she hopes that local power suppliers will continue to intensify efforts to consolidate and enhance rural power grids, further improve rural electricity conditions and better meet the needs of agricultural and rural development.

Wang Weizhi, owner of 12 high-end greenhouses in Shanzhaolijia village in Yantai, East China's Shandong province, said cherry growing has led to a significant increase in local farmers' incomes. This year, the grower has harvested large cherries with a diameter of over 32 millimeters and sold them for a high price of 440 yuan per kilogram.

When asked about the secrets to success, Wang said the farmers use advanced technologies to strictly control temperatures, humidity and light intensity in the greenhouses.

"We provide the cherry trees with the most favorable growing environment. We keep the temperature difference at a 'golden 13 C' to make the cherries taste sweeter. The sugar content of our products is generally around 24 to 25 percent, with a maximum of up to 29 percent," he said.

Wang said all the fertilizers they use are organic and high-quality, and thereby the cherries have a great taste and are nutritionally complete.

The greenhouses can be divided into "cold greenhouses" and "warm greenhouses" based on their different locations and the natural lighting received. Cherries grown in "warm greenhouses" will be available for sale in early April, while the ripening time of "cold greenhouse" cherries can be adjusted in accordance with actual market demand.

Embarking on a new journey of rural vitalization, Wang and other local fruit farmers are well poised to further expand planting scale and improve the quality of their products, as well as to increase their brand awareness.

"Power supply companies are expected to integrate more intelligent energy elements into services based on the needs of agricultural modernization. This will help provide more scientific energy solutions for agricultural production and industrial development, actively guiding more people to save energy and utilize green energy in an efficient manner," said Du Gang, chairman of the Wudaohezi Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Cooperative in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, adding that he's looking forward to smarter and more efficient power supply services.