Recently, the 2,000-acre black sesame fields at Beiliang Smart Farm in Jinxian County have entered the harvest season. Across the rolling fields, waist-high sesame stalks laden with plump seed pods sway like brown waves in the autumn breeze. As cutting and drying machines rumble through the fields, sesame stalks fall neatly in rows while workers follow closely behind for bundling operations.
Black sesame cultivation represents a traditional advantageous industry and distinctive agricultural specialty for Jinxian County. Leveraging selenium-rich soil resources, over 500 years of cultivation heritage, and leading enterprise partnerships, the region has developed into China's largest county-level black sesame production area. Currently, Jinxian County's 20,000 acres of black sesame are progressively entering full harvest mode, with annual production accounting for 50% of the provincial total and 6-7% of national output. Products are exported both domestically and internationally.
"Thanks to our ecological circulation model, this year's sesame crop is thriving exceptionally well, with yields ranging from 100 to 150 jin per acre," said Qi Deshang, production manager at Jiangxi Beiliang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., while directing workers in bundling operations. "These 2,000 acres operate under contract farming, and after harvest, the crop will be purchased at prices 10% above market rates."
Pointing to the integrated water-fertilizer irrigation system throughout the fields, Qi Deshang explained enthusiastically that the system's collection pools connect to more than ten livestock farms of various sizes. Wastewater generated during breeding operations is transported through pipelines to these facilities, where fermentation produces mixed biogas slurry that serves as excellent organic fertilizer. "Biogas slurry is the finest soil amendment available." The company conducts measurements of each plot, applying treatments based on soil testing formulations and nutrient deficiency levels.
According to Qi Deshang, the company has successively leased over 10,000 acres of wasteland, barren hills, and dry farmland across Minhe Street, Chixi Town, and Baixin Township. Through tree removal, leveling, and consolidated contiguous development, they have transformed "small plots into large fields" while deep-cultivating and loosening soil for improvement. The operation implements rotational cropping of rapeseed, corn, peanuts, sesame, potatoes, and soybeans, alongside supporting infrastructure for agricultural product drying, grain and oil processing, and cold-chain storage systems.
Qi Deshang calculated the "ecological benefits": each acre of dry farmland can absorb 30 to 40 tons of biogas slurry annually, potentially reducing chemical fertilizer usage by 80%, delivering significant ecological advantages. "This simultaneously addresses pollution issues at breeding facilities while resolving organic fertilizer shortages in cultivated land."
Meanwhile, in Binhu Village of Meizhuang Town, 60 acres of the new variety "Ganhei Sesame 618" are equally thriving with promising harvests ahead. This represents a pilot cultivation project launched this year through collaboration between Meizhuang Town and the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The variety combines high-yield advantages with suitability for fully mechanized harvesting.
Meizhuang Town encompasses 17,000 acres of black sesame cultivation, with five village committees achieving concentrated contiguous planting and establishing four demonstration bases exceeding 100 acres each. The locality employs an "oil-sesame" rotation model to enhance comprehensive land productivity, maintaining stable yields of 50 kilograms per acre. Jinxian County Lianyou Green Food Co., Ltd. adopts a "company + farmer" cooperation model, providing seeds and fertilizers to farmers while conducting targeted sesame procurement to boost farmer incomes.
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