Farmers in E China busy with spring farming

STORY: Farmers in E China busy with spring farming DATELINE: Feb. 14, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:54 LOCATION: JINAN, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of farmers working 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHANG CHANG'AN, Managing director of a local machinery cooperative STORYLINE: East China's Shandong Province, the country's leading grain and vegetable producer as well as a major wheat production base, has ushered in its spring farming season. In Juancheng County, Heze City, agricultural technicians use drones to monitor a wheat field that covers 10,000 mu (about 667 hectares). SOUNDBITE (Chinese): ZHANG CHANG'AN, Managing director of a local machinery cooperative "This drone can monitor wheat growth, pests and plant diseases and help farmers get more information about the field. It'll enable us to take a more targeted approach towards pest management." Shandong has also dispatched batches of agricultural experts to farmlands to help farmers monitor and analyze the growth of crops and provide practical guidan