This year, the financial organs at the municipal and district (county) levels of Shanghai have increased their supportive funds for the purchase of new agricultural machinery with the funds raised by the farmers’ economic cooperation organizations, both amounting to RMB10 million yuan. Presently, the over 100 newly-purchased or upgraded tractors and over 20 combine harvesters have all been put into use during the harvesting season in autumn. Meanwhile, the price of diesel oil this year has increased by over RMB1,000 yuan from last year to RMB4,300 yuan this month, resulting in the increase of farmers’ investment. In recognition of this situation, the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Office has submitted its application for subsidy for using diesel oil during this autumn.

Statistics show that this year 29,667 hectares of wheat and 21,267 hectares of paddy rice in Shanghai have been reaped with machines, with a mechanization level of 99% and an estimated mechanization level of about 90% respectively. In accordance with the city’s grain production area in the suburbs, in the future 3 to 5 years, the city needs to upgrade or purchase over 2,000 tractors and over 1,000 combine harvesters.