China's "grain barn" braces for spring farming

At 7:00 a.m., Xing Weiguo and some 200 volunteers started their work on the farm, clearing snow, building greenhouses and hauling farming supplies.

Xing, head of a farm in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, was worried before, as many workers in his farm did not return in time for the spring farming season due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, but help came anyway, from local volunteers.

Heilongjiang Province, known as China's "grain barn," has been producing the most grain nationwide for 16 consecutive years.

This year, local farmers have been adopting many different ways to ensure that the spring farming is completed on time, despite the epidemic.

Xing organized an activity for recruiting volunteers in the face of manpower shortage on his farm, and over 260 residents living around the farm signed up to help.

"Although affected by the epidemic, we are trying our best to brace for spring farming while ensuring the safety of our members," said Yan Shiwei, chairman of Daxiang Onion Industry Professional Cooperative in the province.

Yan and his members work scattered in the fields. They take body temperature readings and go through disinfection before and after work every day.

Some farmers also use the internet to prepare for their farming during this special time.

Wang Baiqing, a farmer in the city of Wuchang, famous for its fragrant rice, ordered 10,000 kg of fertilizers online that the seller will deliver directly to his fields.

"I don't think the epidemic will affect my farming business a lot," he said.

Others use social media to work. Hongwuyue Farm Co., Ltd. of Beidahuang Group said employees have been working from home, and offer farmers consultation on choosing fertilizers and pesticides online.

Liu Haitao, another farmer in the province, was able to get a loan online, thanks to the local bank, to fulfill his plan to plant 146.67 hectares of crops this year.

Banks in the Heilongjiang Province that offer agricultural loans had granted 5.559 billion yuan (about 790 million U.S. dollars) of credit as of Feb. 19, with 5.364 billion yuan of the loans in place for farmers, according to local authorities.

"Eventually, I got my loan just using a phone app," said Liu, adding he is confident that the loan is going to be of great help to his new venture.