High-tech and intelligent machinery is empowering agricultural production in China, becoming a key driver in ensuring bumper harvests.

In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, workers at Jiamusi Jichi Tractor Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. are busy on the production line for a batch of tractors scheduled for delivery before New Year's Day. Meanwhile, the research and development of the company's new high-end tractors is also underway.

"We are currently developing a 400-horsepower hybrid, stepless transmission tractor, which features high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and intelligence, making it a heavy-duty piece of equipment suitable for demanding agricultural tasks," said Yang Haiyan, the company's R and D project manager.

The company has also been collaborating with universities and research institutions within the province to ensure the reliability of the tractors.

"We've partnered with research and development groups from Harbin Engineering University and Harbin University of Science and Technology to focus on electronic control systems and energy management. Meanwhile, we've joined forces with more than a dozen leading component suppliers to ensure the performance and reliability of the critical parts," said Yang.

As the core region of high-end intelligent agricultural machinery in Heilongjiang, Jiamusi City hosts 53 agricultural machinery companies, including 23 enterprises above the designated size (those each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan or 2.8 million U.S. dollars), forming a complete industrial cluster from key components to full machine manufacturing.

"Domestic agricultural machinery now accounts for over 90 percent of the market share in Jiamusi," said Shi Yufeng, section chief of the Agricultural Mechanization Management Section under Jiamusi Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

"The improvement in mechanization has not only freed up manpower but also promoted the standardization of grain production. For example, in mechanized seeding, using machinery instead of manual methods has enhanced seed placement quality, thus increasing seedling emergence rates and ultimately boosting crop yields," said Ding Ran, deputy director of the Agricultural Mechanization Management Office under Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

In 2025, Heilongjiang Province deployed 187,000 high-performance seeders for spring plowing, an increase of 15,000 from the previous year. The area covered by these seeders reached about 9.13 million hectares, an increase of 513 000 hectares from the previous year, effectively boosting grain production.