AI, drones, robots reshape farming in Heilongjiang, China’s grain heartland

Heilongjiang Province, China’s top grain-producing region, is transitioning from conventional mechanization to smart agriculture by integrating artificial intelligence, drones, IoT, and advanced machinery like laser-weeding robots and electric-drive precision seeders into its farming operations. Building on a record harvest of 82 million tonnes in 2025 and an already high mechanization rate of 99.28 percent, the province is utilizing digital platforms like Beidahuang’s wall-sized agricultural data maps and AI crop models to optimize tasks such as variable-rate fertilization and rapid crop monitoring. To further accelerate this modernization during the 2025–2030 period, Heilongjiang has launched a national pilot base for agricultural AI applications to address technical bottlenecks, aiming to make both farming equipment and agricultural decision-making increasingly intelligent. Credit : CGTN