Starting from vegetable cultivation and flourishing through agriculture industrialization, Shouguang, a county-level city in Weifang, has formed a whole industry value chain and developed a model that boosts global agriculture.

A modern greenhouse in the Sirdaryo region of Uzbekistan is yielding thriving tomato crops, showcasing China's agricultural technology in a Belt and Road country. On Dec 24, a local worker adjusted equipment while murmuring "integrated water-fertilizer system" in Shouguang-accented Mandarin, as the farm's owner remotely controlled the temperature and humidity via smartphone.

"Shouguang greenhouses withstand Category 10 winds and produce beautiful, delicious, high-yield tomatoes," the farmer's owner said.

The facility, built by Shandong Lisente Agricultural Technology Co Ltd, has offered a boost to agriculture in Uzbekistan. Since launching its overseas expansion in 2016, Lisente has established 270 projects across 40 BRI countries, with nearly 100 hectares of greenhouses in Uzbekistan alone.

A female worker picks tomatoes in a greenhouse in the Sirdaryo region, Uzbekistan. [Photo/Dazhong News]

The company's R&D center simulates global climates, developing customized solutions: nano-coating for Saudi Arabia's 70 Celsius degrees heat, double-slope shading for Guinea's equatorial sun, and internet-of-things-controlled hydroponics for New Zealand. A recent contract from the United States was secured through 3D demonstrations of 38 patents.

Shouguang now hosts over 30 enterprises operating more than 300 overseas plantations worldwide, generating nearly 3 billion yuan ($428.07 million) annually. The model has evolved from traditional farming to data-driven agriculture, becoming a paradigm for China's green technology dissemination worldwide.