Lishui, Zhejiang: Power Safeguards a Bountiful Harvest

At the beginning of September, the hybrid rice seed production base in Suichang County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, ushered in harvest season—endless golden waves of rice swayed with the wind, heavy ears of grain bent the stalks, and the air was filled with the fragrance of ripening crops. In the vast fields, combines shuttled back and forth in an orderly manner, sketching out a picture of a busy yet joyful harvest.

It is reported that Suichang County is the largest hybrid indica rice seed production base in Zhejiang Province, a provincial-level fine seed breeding base, and the only provincial-level featured strong town of the seed industry in the province. The county has 24,000 mu (about 1,600 hectares) of hybrid rice seed production area. In 2024, the county produced 2.4 million kilograms of hybrid rice seeds, with an output value of 120 million yuan, engaging 463 farming households in seed production and generating an average income of about 5,000 yuan per mu.

Mechanized harvesting has become the backbone of this base. It not only saves labor and shortens the urgent harvesting period but also reduces the labor costs of traditional farming. After harvesting, rice seeds are quickly transported to nearby specialized drying plants. Inside the plants, electric drying machines operate around the clock—each can dry 6,000 kilograms of seeds at a time, with even drying and controlled temperature and humidity. This completely eliminates the dependence on “sun-drying under the weather”, greatly improving the quality and efficiency of seed production.

During this critical harvest season, power supply has become the core guarantee for ensuring that “every grain is brought home”. Staff of the State Grid Lishui Power Supply Company take the initiative to enter the fields, carrying out safe electricity use publicity, strengthening special inspections of power lines and transformers, and thoroughly investigating and rectifying hidden risks.

To ensure stable electricity for seed drying, power supply employees visited the plants in advance, conducting “free check-ups” on power lines, leakage protection devices, and other equipment to ensure they operate in optimal condition. Xu Shengkai, a staff member of Suichang County’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, said: “Suichang is a major county for hybrid rice seed production. Now is a crucial period, and electricity demand is high. The power supply company has assigned personnel to check the power use of pumping equipment and dryers, effectively meeting our harvest season electricity needs.”

From the fields to the workshops, from harvesting to drying, stable and reliable electricity has quietly become the “green engine” driving modern agricultural development. With high-quality power services, the State Grid Lishui Power Supply Company is integrating into the broader rural revitalization agenda, safeguarding the path for every grain of seed to be stored, and injecting strong momentum into ensuring food security and advancing agricultural modernization.(By Zhu Lingxiao)