STORY: China boosts food security as spring farming begins in saline-alkali land
SHOOTING TIME: March 23, 2024
DATELINE: April 1, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:48
LOCATION: JINAN, China
CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of spring farming in China's Shandong
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI JIANWEI, Manager of an agricultural company in Dongying
3. various of spring farming in China's Shandong
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): JIA XI, Dean assistant, National Technology Innovation Center for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline Alkali Land
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LI LINBO, Staffer, Saline-Alkali land utilization service center of the demonstration zone
6. various of spring farming in China's Shandong
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): GUO YUKUAI, Herb grower
8. various of traditional Chinese medicinal materials planting

STORYLINE:

As temperatures rise across China, spring farming is in full swing in major grain-producing regions.

Modern agricultural techniques have enabled farmers to cultivate crops not only on fertile land, but also on saline-alkali soil.

China has about 1.5 billion mu (100 million hectares) of saline-alkali land, of which around 500 million mu is available for utilization.

The country has developed innovative solutions for soil restoration, fertilization, irrigation, and seedling development.

In Dongying, Shandong Province, saline-alkali land spans about 3.4 million mu (about 227,000 hectares).

At an agricultural demonstration zone here, farmers are fertilizing the salt-tolerant wheat.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): LI JIANWEI, Manager of an agricultural company in Dongying
"Our company cultivates 2000 mu (about 133 hectares) of wheat here. The yield has increased by approximately 10% compared to previous unscreened varieties."

The demonstration zone has partnered with 48 domestic colleges and research institutes, with about 1,100 agricultural experts involved.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): JIA XI, Dean assistant, National Technology Innovation Center for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline Alkali Land
"We've selected over 120 crop varieties suitable for large-scale cultivation on saline-alkali land. We're enhancing the quality of saline-alkaline land through measures like constructing fertile layers and managing water sources."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LI LINBO, Staffer, Saline-Alkali land utilization service center of the demonstration zone
"Over the past two years, a total of 54 research and innovation platforms have been established, with 23 key core technologies developed and 226 major scientific achievements achieved."

Data reveal that China has kept its annual grain output steady at over 650 million tonnes for consecutive years.

Besides crop cultivation, saline-alkali land is also yielding economic crops like watermelons and medicinal herbs.

In Binzhou, Shandong Province, a medicinal herb planting base is established on the once-barren saline-alkali land.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): GUO YUKUAI, Herb grower
"After conducting land surveys, we decided that the land here is highly suitable for planting traditional Chinese medicinal materials. This year, we plan to grow 1,000 mu (66.67 hectares) of herbs."

The saline-alkali land in China has become a potential resource, boosting agricultural productivity and improving farmers' incomes.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jinan, China.
(XHTV)