China: Luoping County Successful in Generalizing Farm Machinery in Tobacco Production

Source from:  Qujing Tobacco Monopoly Administration 10/30/2012

Luoping County in Qujing City of southwest China's tobacco-producing Yunnan Province – a key high-quality leaf tobacco production and supply zone – has been successful in generalizing the application of farm machinery in leaf tobacco production so far this year, contributing to significantly boosting leaf tobacco production across the county.

In 2012, Luoping County was listed as a national-level model county for demonstrating the use of farm machinery in leaf tobacco production. In accordance with the core targets of "reducing manpower, cutting costs and increasing efficiency", Luoping County Tobacco Subcompany, which doubles as Luoping County Tobacco Monopoly Administration, has invested a line of 93 million yuan (14.8 million U.S. dollars) in preparing 82,500 mu (5,500 hectares) of farmland for tobacco growing and improving conditions for the operation of farm machinery. In addition, it has also extended a line of 4.9395 million yuan (784,000 U.S. dollars) in subsidies for the purchase of farm machinery to the tune of 4,223 sets or units for tobacco production by local tobacco growers.

The county tobacco subcompany has also managed to improve the construction of organization of farm machinery, actively explore new ways of "affordability, availability, capability of generalization, capability of management and improvement of efficiency" in generalizing the application of farm machinery for tobacco production, and actively promote generalization of application of farm machinery for tobacco production.

These efforts adopted by Luoping County Tobacco Subcompany have contributed to solving actual problems of heavy labor intensity in tobacco production, and enabling local tobacco growers to generally understand the great significance of using farm machinery in tobacco production.

Presently, Luoping grows 273,500 mu (18,233 hectares) of tobacco, backed by 6,373 sets and units of farm machinery, with the average motive force per farm household reaching 37 kilowatts. Enditem