As the concentrated autumn grain harvest period gets underway, the main grain-producing regions across the country are bustling with the sound of machinery. Behind that roar of engines lies the rising cost of fuel. Agricultural machinery used for autumn harvest primarily runs on diesel, and since the start of this year, domestic diesel prices have experienced significant fluctuations due to the international situation. Taking into account all operational stages 鈥?including mechanized corn and rice harvesting, winter wheat planting and cultivation in the Huang-Huai-Hai region, and autumn land preparation in Northeast China 鈥?relevant institutions estimate that the cost of agricultural machinery operations during this year's "three autumns" period has increased by approximately 6 billion yuan compared to last year.
Fuel costs for agricultural machinery operations directly affect the vital interests of machine operators and farmers alike. The question is: has the rise in autumn harvest machinery operating costs actually been felt in the fields this year? Will it be passed on to grain-growing farmers? What measures are various departments and localities taking to safeguard farmers' income, control costs, and stabilize grain prices?
Peak Autumn Harvest Fuel Consumption: An Extra 7 to 10 Yuan per Mu
Since the beginning of this year, tensions in the Middle East have driven sharp fluctuations in international oil prices. A recent report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development noted that rising oil prices will increase fuel and freight costs, pushing up overall commodity expenses. Right now, China is in the midst of a large-scale autumn grain harvest, which coincides with peak fuel consumption for agricultural machinery. A team from the Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently conducted a special survey on autumn harvest agricultural machinery fuel use in major grain-producing areas including Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui. Yuan Peng, a team member and assistant researcher at the institute's Agricultural Mechanization Development Strategy Research Center, pointed out that fuel costs for this year's autumn harvest have risen.
Yuan Peng: Nationwide, the retail price of 0# diesel is currently around 8 yuan per liter, compared to around 6 yuan per liter in most regions during the same period last year 鈥?nearly 2 yuan more per liter. What does that mean in the fields? A normal plot harvesting one mu of corn consumes about 4 to 5 liters of fuel, while harvesting one mu of rice consumes about 3.5 to 5 liters. By that calculation, fuel costs per mu are 7 to 10 yuan more than last year.
Yuan Peng particularly emphasized that the cost increase caused by rising oil prices during autumn harvest varies significantly across different regions.
Yuan Peng: Take mainstream rice combine harvesters with a 6-kilogram feed rate as an example 鈥?on flat terrain, fuel consumption averages 3.5 liters per mu; in small plots in hilly and mountainous areas, it rises to 5 liters; and in lodged fields, some machine operators report fuel consumption of 6 to 7 liters per mu. The impact of rising oil prices is amplified in hilly and mountainous areas and in disaster-affected lodged fields.
Rising Oil Prices 鈮?Higher Mechanized Harvesting Service Fees? Operators and Cooperatives Bear the First Wave of Pressure
Farmers' grain-growing income is tied to national food security and the enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of farmers. Only when income is stable will farmers be willing to grow grain and grow it well, ensuring the nation's food supply remains secure. Every increase in costs at any stage puts pressure on income. So, has the rise in agricultural machinery fuel costs caused by this year's oil price fluctuations been passed on to farmers? Yuan Peng explained that rising oil prices and rising mechanized harvesting service prices do not move in sync.
Yuan Peng: In most areas we surveyed, mechanized harvesting service prices were basically flat or slightly up compared to last year. For example, in Jiaxian County in Henan and Weifang in Shandong, corn mechanized harvesting prices rose by 5 to 10 yuan compared to last year; while many operators and farmers in Chongqing, Huai'an, and Xuzhou in Jiangsu reported that service prices were the same as last year. A considerable portion of the fuel price increase has been absorbed by machine operators and cooperatives themselves. It can be said that the mature socialized service system for agricultural machinery has shielded farmers from the first wave of pressure.
However, it is worth noting that smallholder farmers feel the impact of rising autumn grain harvesting prices more acutely.
Yuan Peng: For the same price increase, smallholders generally face higher harvesting price hikes than large-scale farmers, because smallholders' plots are scattered and their bargaining power is weaker. Fuel consumption is higher in hilly and mountainous areas and lodged fields, creating greater cost pressure. This is where future policies can be more precisely targeted.
Local Policies and Oil Companies Step In: Exclusive Discounts, Green Channels, and Fuel Delivery to the Fields
To effectively strengthen fuel supply guarantees for agricultural machinery operations and ease the pressure of rising costs, departments including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have held close consultations with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), working to increase exclusive fuel discounts for agricultural machinery. Take Jilin Province, one of the major grain barns in Northeast China, as an example. CNPC's Jilin Sales Company has allocated special funds to offer autumn harvest agricultural machinery fuel discounts at 674 rural gas stations, implementing tiered discounts where buying more saves more. Tian Ning, deputy director of the Marketing Department at CNPC Jilin Sales Company, said the fuel cost per agricultural machine is reduced by an average of over 1,500 yuan, with maximum savings exceeding 2,100 yuan.
Tian Ning: On top of the exclusive fuel price discounts, local branch companies have introduced "fuel + fertilizer + diesel engine oil" agricultural supply packages based on local conditions to reduce agricultural input procurement and machinery maintenance costs; they have also launched "fuel + rice, flour, grain, oil + packaged goods" daily consumption packages to comprehensively facilitate rural residents' production and daily life.
In Henan, a major grain-producing province, CNPC offers a 3% discount on the retail price of diesel for agricultural machinery and a 41% discount on the listed price of lubricants. In addition, Pei Feng, finance manager at CNPC Henan Sales Branch, noted that the company has opened green refueling channels at diesel stations across Henan Province, set up dedicated fuel dispensers for agricultural use to ensure machinery can "refuel on arrival," and provides "fuel delivery to the fields" services.
Pei Feng: For machine operators' fuel needs, we can deliver to the fields. We have dedicated small fuel tanker trucks, and delivery is free of charge, saving their time so they don't have to travel back and forth to refuel. We also provide rest areas for machine operators inside our gas stations 鈥?if they're tired, they can take a shower, rest, watch some TV, and so on.
In Hubei Province, agricultural and rural departments have partnered with CNPC and Sinopec to increase exclusive fuel discounts for agricultural machinery. Since August, the discount rate across the province has reached 8%, with some cities and counties stacking discounts up to 10%. Currently, due to market price fluctuations, the discount margin has been somewhat reduced but still maintains a certain level. Zhang Qiang from the Marketing Department at CNPC Hubei Sales Branch stated:
Zhang Qiang: Due to international oil prices and resource constraints, the company is currently facing some pressure on resources. But we are fully committed to guaranteeing fuel supply for agricultural machinery customers. There is no problem with fuel availability for this segment 鈥?as long as there is demand, whether at rural stations, national highway stations, or provincial highway stations, we will provide full support.
It is understood that currently, across the country, agricultural machinery fuel still maintains an average discount of about 5% off the current maximum price cap, which can save machine operators nearly 2 billion yuan in fuel costs and can largely offset the impact of current oil price increases. Yuan Peng suggests that discount efforts could be further strengthened, and a precise subsidy mechanism linked to actual operational volume and fuel consumption should be established based on local conditions. At the same time, the "last mile" of good policies needs to be smoothed out.
Yuan Peng: During our survey, we found that some machine operators in certain areas are not very familiar with agricultural machinery fuel discount policies 鈥?they don't know about discount cards or where to apply for them. We suggest further intensifying policy outreach at the grassroots level, promoting autumn harvest agricultural machinery fuel discounts to townships and operational sites, so that beneficial policies become widely known and immediately accessible to machine operators. The survey also found that fuel consumption per mu in lodged fields is 20% to 30% higher than in normal fields. We recommend strengthening the promotion of lodging-resistant crop varieties and providing training on loss-reduction and fuel-saving operational techniques for mechanized harvesting. Overall, with the national supply guarantee and price stabilization mechanism as a backstop, oil companies' agricultural concessions, and a well-established socialized service system for agricultural machinery, this year's autumn harvest fuel supply is guaranteed, prices are generally stable with a slight increase, and there has been essentially no impact on farmers' grain production costs.