April 5, 2011
 

Yasheng foresees considerable increase in wheat crop yields

Yasheng Group, a high-growth diversified China-based agricultural conglomerate with US headquarters in California, formally declared that it is foreseeing a considerable rise in wheat crop yields due to the company's usage of the innovative technology of dry land wheat planting.

It is anticipated that the adoption of dry land wheat planting this year will increase yields by over 600kg/acre. The technology, also known as film-mulched and bunch-seeded cultivation, was recently appraised and received recognition from the Science and Technology Department of Gansu Province.

According to test data provided by Gansu Agricultural Technology Promotion Station, Gansu Province grew over 28,000 acres of wheat with this advanced technology, which generated an average yield of 1,835kg/acre, increasing by 628kg/acre or 52.1% compared with that of the outdoor sowing in drill. In the course of growing winter wheat in 2010-2011, Gansu Province grew 50,000 acres more with this upgraded technology.

The acceptance of conventional technology of film-mulched and bunch-seeded cultivation was not widespread due to its intricate process which was labourious and time intensive. Conversely, the new technology is innovative in its full coverage with film, evaporation reduction, rainwater-collecting and soil moisture conservation. Furthermore, it is simpler and less labour intensive than the conventional one.

It is suitable for wheat planting in the terraces and terrace lands, deep soil and middle-upper fertility utilising film-mulched and bunch-seeded technology. The yield-increasing effect is most obvious in the arid and semiarid zones with annual precipitation of approximately 350 millimetres and 1,800 metres above sea level below.

Chairman Zhou Chang Sheng said, "Given the inflationary pressures on food prices, it is essential that we in the agricultural industry enhance our efficiencies by adopting innovative ways of growing crops. In addition, the higher wheat yields that will come as a result of this new technology we will meet the demand we are currently experiencing."

Yasheng Group founded over 30 years ago, is a US holding company that conducts primarily agricultural operations in the Northwest of China. Today, it is one of China's leading producers and marketers with six major product segments including field crops, vegetables, fruit, specialty crops, hops, hemp, seeds, beef and poultry.

Yasheng is a supplier of high-quality agricultural products to world-famous conglomerates such as McDonald's, KFC, Tsingtao Beer, and Pepsi. The company is led by a highly qualified management team and it has total assets of approximately UD$1.7 billion, over 15,000 employees, and a history of strong sales and earnings growth.