Zhangjiagang city’s agriculture administration has recently issued a document about measures facilitating more purchases of farm machinery in 2013 to help farmers with harvesting about 300,000 mu (20,000 hectares) of wheat in May.

The document says that the Zhangjiagang city government will give subsidies to some 12 categories of machinery items in addition to 56 existing categories of farm machinery subsidized by central and provincial budgets, according to local practical needs.

The newly added items are mostly special agricultural facilities. For example, 30 percent of the prices of rice vacuum packaging devices will be subsidized. A 15,000-yuan ($2,434) subsidy for mobile auto steam spray for rice vernalization and a subsidy of as much as 60,000 yuan for drying system equipment are also included.

Machineries subsidized by central and provincial budgets are mainly for ploughing, sowing and applying fertilizers. Subsidies are as high as 120,000 yuan per set of equipment.