In early autumn, the 1,600-acre black sesame crop at Beiliang Smart Farm in Jinxian County, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, is welcoming harvest season. Currently, across the rolling fields, waist-high sesame stalks are laden with pods. As harvesters rumble through the fields, the sesame stalks fall in neat rows, with farmers following closely behind to bundle them up, creating a scene of bustling activity.
"These 1,600 acres are all under contract farming. After harvest, the sesame will be purchased by food companies at prices 10% higher than market rates," said Wu Yuping, head of Jiangxi Beiliang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. He noted that the sesame crop at this base is growing well this year, with yields expected to reach around 150 jin per acre.
Pointing to the water-fertilizer integrated irrigation system in the fields, Wu Yuping began explaining enthusiastically. "Our irrigation system's transfer pool is connected to more than ten local livestock farms. Manure water generated during breeding processes is fermented to form mixed biogas slurry, which can then be directly transported to the fields through pipelines. The biogas slurry not only effectively improves soil quality but also reduces environmental pollution," Wu said. Before cultivation, they also measure each plot and conduct targeted spraying based on soil testing and fertilizer formulation.
During the conversation, Wu also calculated the "ecological benefits." "Each acre of land can utilize 30 to 40 tons of biogas slurry annually, which is expected to reduce fertilizer usage by about 80%. This both solves the pollution problem of livestock farms and properly addresses the shortage of organic fertilizer in cultivated land," Wu explained.
It's worth noting that this thousand-acre sesame planting base was entirely transformed from wasteland. "Through the 'small field to large field' model, we concentrated on transforming wasteland in contiguous areas and implemented soil improvement and organic matter enhancement projects. We practice crop rotation planting of rapeseed, corn, sesame and other crops to achieve precision and digitalized agricultural management," Wu introduced.
According to reports, the black sesame industry is a traditional advantageous industry and distinctive agricultural trademark of Jinxian County, Nanchang City. In recent years, leveraging rich selenium soil resources, over 500 years of cultivation history, and leading enterprise development, the area has become Jiangxi's largest black sesame county production area. Currently, Jinxian County has approximately 20,000 acres of black sesame cultivation, with products exported overseas.
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