Zhaiji township achieves bountiful sorghum harvest

The sorghum planting base in Zhaoji township, Kaiyang county, celebrated a grand harvest in September.

In recent days, three large harvesters have been working in the sorghum fields, efficiently completing the processes of harvesting, threshing, and returning straw to the field. The harvested sorghum grains are loaded into farm vehicles and transported directly to the Baoxing village drying plant.

According to the base manager, the entire process from plowing, sowing, managing, to harvesting is fully mechanized, with even pest and disease control managed by drones, which saves time, labor, and money while increasing labor productivity.

Zhaoji adopts a "company + base + farmer" cultivation model, implemented by Guiyang's "Vegetable Basket" company, covering an area of 400 mu (26.66 hectares). Before sowing, farmers sign a purchase contract with the Renhuai supply and marketing cooperative, which provides the seeds. After harvesting and drying, the cooperative buys back the sorghum at 9 yuan ($1.27) per kilogram, ensuring farmers can work without worrying about sales, and offering them stable income.

In recent years, Zhaoji has been developing the cultivation model mentioned above for crops like sweet potatoes, chrysanthemums, and peppers, which not only provides farmers with stable sales channels and reliable income guarantees, but also motivates them to plant actively.

A farmer drives a large harvester through a sorghum field. [Photo/WeChat account of Kaiyang county]