Automated pear production is helping growers in Dangshan County of east China's Anhui Province reap lucrative returns with improved production efficiency and yield.

Dangshan County is dubbed "China's pear capital" for its massive pear plantations occupying about 70 percent of its arable land.

In a pear production center, automated equipment are operating intensively and orderly to sort out and package the pears, and workers are busy packaging, labeling and packing the sweet fruits before the delivery. A batch of pears weighing about 10,000 kilograms will be packed into 3,300 cases and delivered to Shanghai.

"After taking our crisp pears out of storage, we will sort them with specialist equipment. We will only start packaging and delivery when each box of pears reaches our standards for appearance, weight and sugar content," said Guo Pengwei, general manager of the Dangshan Liyuan Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd.

This year, as one of the country's pilot "digital county", Dangshan has prioritized the digital transformation of its traditional pear industry by building an Internet Service Center featuring government-led and market-based operations for its pear growers. With the launch of the integrated data center, the agricultural Internet of Things has taken shape in this the county's rural areas, facilitating the formation of a digital chain involving production management, quality control, monitoring and warning, and tracking.

The "digital orchards" are accessible to the management personnel, agricultural experts and ordinary farmers, coordinating them to refine the growing and processing system into a more scientific and efficient one. The standardized production has gained Dangshan pear a greater reputation, and ensured improved production and higher income for the locals.

Data shows that since Dangshan was designated as a pilot "digital county" in October 2020, local digital orchards have achieved a total output five to ten percent higher than that of the traditional plantations, while reducing the cost of agricultural materials, labor and management by 15 to 25 percent, and raising the comprehensive income of growers by 20 to 35 percent.