Oversize pumpkins grown in space, solar-powered pest control vehicles and distance pest situation forecast systems... These are some of the most eye-catching exhibits at the 23rd China Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Fair running on Nov 5-9.
The annual fair in Yangling district of Xianyang, Shaanxi province, is set to showcase more than 1,700 recent projects and technologies, as well as nearly 400 patents, from 28 universities, four research institutions and 12 leading companies. These represent the nation's latest achievements over the past three years in a range of sectors, including agricultural machinery, biotechnology, gardening and food processing.
Organizers said that this year's event highlights high-tech applications, e-commerce experience and agricultural brands' image. They also said the displayed projects are highly practical and can be easily industrialized.
There are 266 international booths for overseas exhibitors, an increase of 73 percent year-on-year, which come from about 40 countries and regions.
Oscar Salet, director of Dutch agricultural equipment manufacturer Kiremko& Tolsma-Grisnich BV's China division, said he never expected to see so many new products at the fair. His company, a specialist in potato growing and processing, is seeking cooperation opportunities at the fair.
For the first time at the event, there is an international seed industry exhibition, which includes physical booths and virtual exhibition areas online.
Besides exhibition, the event also includes forums, trade negotiations and training programs.
Zhang Chunpu, a farmer from Yan'an, has participated in the fair for 15 consecutive years. He said he learned a lot when first visiting the fair in 2002, and had the idea of raising chickens in his village.
Two years later, his farm's eggs were displayed at the Yan'an booth. Last year, he was invited to give a speech on agricultural technology application.
"The Yangling fair is a festival for farmers," Zhang told local newspaper Shaanxi Daily. "It allows us to learn the latest technology from experts face to face."
In the previous 22 years, the Yangling agricultural fair had attracted more than 22 million exhibitors and visitors, with total contracts worth more than 500 billion yuan ($73.8 billion).
The Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Industries Demonstration Zone is China's first pilot area for agricultural intellectual property. By the end of 2015, every 10,000 people in the area owned 26.9 patents on average, more than four times the national average.
The companies and organizations in the zone had developed more than 300 new species of plants and animals by that time, which generated revenue of over 1 trillion yuan.
The zone administration and the provincial IP authority jointly unveiled an IP promotion center on Sunday. It is aimed to improve the zone's overall capacity in modern agricultural development and the integration of the internet, IP services and agriculture.