Henan: water-saving irrigation promotes the planting of cash crops

Henan Province is the most populous province, the largest agricultural province and the largest grain production province in China, as well as an important economic province and a rapidly developing new industrial province, which plays an important role in the country. From June 2 to 3, the press delegation of Water Saving China conducted an interview on various aspects of Henan's industrial structure adjustment and water conservation.

Agriculture is the largest water user in Henan Province. In 2008, the total grain output reached 107.3 billion jin, exceeding 100 billion jin for three consecutive years, a record high for five consecutive years, and ranking first in the country for nine consecutive years.

The development of agriculture is accompanied by the continuous increase of water consumption, so Henan has great water-saving potential in agriculture.

In recent years, Henan Province has firmly seized the opportunities of the development of the national Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the continuation of large-scale irrigation areas and the construction of water-saving irrigation demonstration projects, and continuously increased funds, scientific and technological investment and support for agricultural water-saving. Good results have been achieved by actively popularizing the technologies of canal construction, low-pressure pipeline water conveyance, sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation and seepage irrigation, and vigorously developing high-efficiency and water-saving agriculture. By the end of 2008, the province had developed water-saving irrigation projects covering an area of 17.645 million mu, accounting for 24% of the effective irrigation area, with an annual water saving of about 1.409 billion cubic meters. Among them, 8.78 million mu of low-pressure pipeline water, 7.06 million mu of canal anti-seepage, 1.67 million mu of sprinkler irrigation, 120000 mu of micro-irrigation, and 3.49 million mu of other mu. The proportion of agricultural water consumption in the province's total water consumption decreased from 72.2% in 1998 to 52% in 2008, and the water consumption per ton of grain decreased from 420 cubic meters in 1980 to 141 cubic meters in 2008.

The development of water-saving irrigation not only alleviates the shortage of water resources, but also promotes the adjustment of agricultural planting structure in Henan. The planting scale of some cash crops with high water consumption, such as flowers and vegetables, has been greatly developed due to the great reduction of water consumption.

Through the development of water-saving agriculture, Henan has promoted the transformation from traditional agriculture to intensive agriculture, and the efficient agricultural planting structure of three crops and four crops a year has been well popularized. Xuchang City has formed a number of high-quality, efficient and characteristic agricultural production bases through the organic combination of water-saving irrigation and agricultural structure adjustment. First, more than 400000 mu of flower bases have been formed along the 311 National Highway in Yanling County, Xuchang County and Weidu District. Second, a number of vegetable and fruit production bases have been formed in Changge City and Weidu District. Third, a number of dried fruit production bases and traditional Chinese medicine production bases have been formed in Yuzhou City. Fourth, a number of tobacco and vegetable production bases have been formed in Xiangcheng and other counties (cities). After the implementation of the water-saving transformation project in the Yindan Irrigation District of Nanyang City, the irrigation period has been reduced from 17 days to 12 days, with an annual water saving of 10 million cubic meters, and the villages and towns in the irrigation area have made full use of the advantages of water resources for the diversion of Dan. from a single agricultural planting to the development of vegetables, forest and fruit, traditional Chinese medicine and aquaculture. The grain-to-economy ratio in the irrigation area increased from 6:4 to 5:5.

As the first productive force for agriculture to increase production and increase efficiency, water conservancy has played a huge role. Many practical technologies that have been difficult to popularize for a long time have been accepted and applied by the broad masses. Science and technology-based agriculture, benefit-oriented agriculture and intensive agriculture have all made considerable progress, and fundamental changes have taken place in the growth mode of agriculture.