Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs officially approved the establishment of the "Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment for Hilly and Mountainous Areas in Southwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs". Led by Weima Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. and jointly applied for with Jiangsu University and the Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the laboratory has successfully been approved, officially joining the ranks of national key laboratories.
This marks the establishment of a new high-powered scientific research engine for China in tackling the bottlenecks of agricultural mechanization in hilly and mountainous areas. It is also a crucial national-level deployment for technological breakthroughs and industrial transformation in this field.
Based on National Strategy, Tackling the "Bottleneck" Problems of Hilly Area Agricultural.

Machinery. Targeting Urgent National Strategic Needs, Pioneering the "Uncharted Territory" of Agricultural Machinery

The topography of China's southwestern hilly and mountainous areas is complex, with fragmented plots and heavy clay soil, long described as "seventy percent mountains, ten percent water, and twenty percent farmland".
Traditional plain-area agricultural machinery is "ill-suited" here, leading to a comprehensive mechanization rate for crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting in this region of less than 60%, far below the national average. The lack of suitable and high-quality machinery has become a prominent shortcoming constraining modern agricultural development.

The establishment of this laboratory represents a precisely targeted national strategy, deploying strategic scientific and technological strength against this key shortcoming and core challenge hindering China's agricultural modernization in the southwestern hilly and mountainous areas.
It aims to systematically overcome the challenges of intelligent equipment and key technologies for the entire process of "ploughing, planting, managing, and harvesting" in hilly and mountainous terrain.

Demonstrating the Responsibility of a Leading Enterprise, Deep Industry-University-Research Collaborative Innovation

As the lead unit of the laboratory, Weima Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. is a leading enterprise in China's hilly and mountainous agricultural machinery sector and is widely known in the industry as the "first listed company specializing in hilly and mountainous agricultural machinery".

The company is not only a National High-Tech Enterprise but has also established provincial/ministerial-level engineering technology research centers, enterprise technology centers, and industrial design centers. Its developed products, such as walking tractors, garden management machines, crawler rotary tillers, and small harvesters, are sold in over a hundred countries and regions worldwide. It possesses profound technological (accumulation) and strong industrialization capabilities in the fields of lightweight and adaptive agricultural machinery.
The successful approval of the laboratory is another exemplar of the deep integration of "industry, university, research, and application".

Weima Agricultural Machinery will rely on this high-level platform to deepen collaboration with long-term strategic partners such as Southwest University, Jiangsu University, and the Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
All parties will conduct joint research tackling key problems around the technological bottlenecks of hilly and mountainous agricultural equipment, focusing on core directions such as intelligent power, specialized equipment, and autonomous operation, working together to build scientific and technological strength that serves the national strategy.

Empowering Industrial Revitalization, Serving the National Strategy of Rural Revitalization

The construction of the laboratory goes far beyond technological breakthroughs. Its deeper mission lies in empowering the entire industrial chain and agricultural modernization:
♦ Accelerating the Transformation of Achievements into Applications:
Relying on Weima Agricultural Machinery's mature manufacturing system and global market network, the laboratory's R&D achievements will be rapidly commercialized, it is expected to spawn several innovative product lines with output value exceeding ten billion yuan.
♦ Cultivating High-End Talent:
Through major projects, it will gather and cultivate a group of high-end, interdisciplinary R&D talents for agricultural equipment and "smart farmers", injecting core intellectual impetus into the sustainable development of the industry.
♦ Leading Standards Upgrading:
Actively participating in and leading the formulation of technical standards and specifications for hilly and mountainous agricultural equipment, transforming from an industry follower to a rule leader.
♦ Contributing to Rural Revitalization:
By providing advanced, efficient, and environmentally friendly agricultural machinery and equipment, it will tangibly reduce farmers' labor intensity, enhance production efficiency and income, providing solid scientific, technological, and equipment support for agricultural modernization and rural revitalization in the southwestern hilly and mountainous areas.

Looking to the Future, Building a World-Class Innovation Source for Hilly Area Agricultural Machinery

The successful approval as a national key laboratory marks the starting point of a new journey.
Looking ahead, Weima Agricultural Machinery will use this as a cornerstone,pool global innovation resources, deepen the integration of industry, university, research, and application, and is determined to build the "Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment for Hilly and Mountainous Areas in Southwest China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs" into a top-tier domestic and world-class scientific research and innovation hub, a base for achievement transformation, and a center for talent gathering. It aims to contribute indispensable scientific and technological strength to promoting the high-quality development of China's agricultural equipment industry and safeguarding national food security and the supply of important agricultural products.