Birth of a suggestion from an NPC deputy for rural development

Chongqing- It's time for late-ripening citrus to bear fruit in this lovely season of thriving green. Farmers are busy pruning the branches of their trees in a citrus orchard in Zhongxian county.

Wu Yanjie, the general manager of Chongqing Paisenbai Orange Juice Co Ltd, talks to the farmers; she is also deputy to the National People's Congress, China's national legislature.

The quality of the citrus has always been a focus for the company leader. More than that, the NPC deputy thinks of the big picture and is keen on agricultural industrialization.

Smart agriculture

After field trips, Wu learned that pests and plant diseases in citrus cultivation are a major concern for farmers.

"We still hope that deputies to the NPC will help us improve the current situation," said Tang Zuoxiu, a fruit farmer in Zhongxian country.

How to find a systematic solution to improve the output and quality of citrus significantly? As an NPC deputy, Wu proposed strengthening the industrial technology systems of modern agriculture and building a big data system for smart agriculture.

"Through bringing modern technology and scientific systems, we can teach the farmers to test the leaves," said Wu. "If the leaves need nitrogen, and we only use the nitrogen for the fertilizer instead of using the compound fertilizer."

Wu thinks with the application of smart agriculture farmers can increase their production and reduce the management fee.

At the same time, Wu thinks that establishing an agricultural science and technology system requires not only advanced technologies but also training for the fruit farmers to help them master these technologies.

"We really want them to know we have a better way to grow citrus, and farmers can get the better incomes," said Wu. "So we really want them to change the idea (through) training them so that they can get more professional skills."