Powered by an electric motor, a pipe pumps out copious amounts of water into Peng Shunli's wheat field in Queshan County, Henan province. "The electric irrigation system is now so convenient there's hardly any need for my manual labor," Peng, from Pengzhuang village in Liudian town in northeastern Queshan, said.
The irrigation system has raised expectations of a good harvest from a planting area of some 143,000 hectares earmarked for main crops each year. The vegetable planting base covers some 20 hectares, with 40-plus standardized vegetable and fruit greenhouses working as a "vegetable basket" for the entire county.
Jiang Guiyin, local government head at Queshan, said besides ensuring a grain output of 580,000 tons this year, the county aims to expand the output of Chinese herbal medicines, chestnuts, tobacco leaves, sweet potatoes, watermelons, and mushrooms.
Zhang Huawei, in charge of corporate work at Queshan Power Supply Co, said the company will provide a network-style service for the growers, offering one-on-one services and safeguarding their use of electricity. The company's service team will visit every greenhouse, replace aging switches, and eliminate risks to shutters and electric irrigation equipment so as to ensure a reliable electricity supply, he said.
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