-- Around the time of the spring equinox, a major season for farming in China, farming activities are in full swing across the country, from the north to the south.

-- To complement the use of large agricultural machinery and even drones, Chinese researchers have developed a number of high-tech products to help farmers get better access to agricultural know-how, use intelligent management platforms, and better control pests and plant diseases.

-- China reaped a bumper harvest last year despite the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic, typhoons, floods and droughts, with an annual grain yield of 669.5 million tonnes. The country has shown the capability to feed its population and withstand threats to grain production.

by Xinhua writers Han Yu, Liu Fangqiang, Sun Xiaoyu and Li Baojie

HEFEI/HARBIN, March 17  -- Luo Yingdi, 50, has been busy spraying pesticide in wheat fields for over a month, covering about 67 hectares of land per day with the help of his agricultural spraying tractors.

"I have six agricultural sprayers and two drones to spray pesticide and herbicide. Seven employees from my agricultural service company do the spraying work," said Luo, who has been farming for 21 years in Yingshang County, east China's Anhui Province. Besides looking after his own 53 hectares of farmland, he also provides the spraying service to other farmers.