Peanut Harvester

There are two different Technology roadmap for mechanized peanut harvesting in China. One is joint harvesting, which follows the Technology roadmap of Taiwan Yunnong TPH3252 peanut combine harvester. In the true sense, joint harvesting can complete the functions of excavation, soil removal, fruit picking and fruit collection at one time. The more well-known brands in China are Shandong Linyi Dongtai and Jiangsu Yuguoyuan; The second is segmented harvesting, which means digging, drying, picking, and picking fruits first. It uses seedling killing machines, peanut excavators, and peanut picking machines, among which the most critical machine is the peanut picking and harvesting machine. It has become an independent product category in China, and domestic brands represented by Zhengzhou Zhonglian have developed this product into a powerful industry.

The large-scale planting mode of peanuts ultimately chose segmented harvesting. More than 100 years ago, Adam Smith revealed in "The Wealth of Nations" that division of labor can generate efficiency, which is also applicable in agricultural production. Compared with combine harvesters, segmented peanut harvesting is more in line with domestic agricultural habits and can generate higher efficiency. Therefore, in recent years, the peanut picking combine harvester represented by Zhengzhou Zhonglian has become the mainstream model of peanut harvesters in China and has developed into a new industry with a production value of 1.5 billion yuan.

1、 Restorative growth in peanut planting area and strong demand for peanut harvesters
Peanuts are the largest oil crop planted in China and the only oil crop that can achieve self-sufficiency. Except for the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and Hong Kong and Macao regions, peanuts are planted in various other regions. Henan Province, with the largest planting area, has an average annual planting area of over 15 million acres, followed by Shandong, Hebei, Guangdong, Anhui, Guangxi, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Liaoning, Fujian, etc.

Affected by the epidemic situation, the low price of peanuts, the substitution of Soybean oil and corn oil for Peanut oil, and the restorative growth of soybean and wheat planting areas, the domestic peanut planting area in 2022 will be 3895 thousand hectares, 91029 thousand hectares less than that in 2021, a year-on-year decrease of 23.37%.

At the same time as the reduction in area, the combined drought and flood in the main peanut producing areas of China in 2022 resulted in a reduction in yield ranging from 20% to 25%. According to USDA data, the total supply gap of peanuts in China in 2021/2022 was as high as 4.312 to 5.2275 million tons.
Grain bags, vegetable baskets, and oil bottles are major issues related to the national economy and the people's livelihood. In 2023, the No. 1 central document of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) clearly proposed that we should increase the planting of soybean oil plants. Under the incentive of policy promotion and improvement of agronomic level, it is expected that the output of national oil plants will increase significantly in 2023.

At the recent "China Agriculture Outlook Conference", the Rural Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs reported that China's oil production is expected to reach 38.4 million tons by 2023, an increase of 5.1% compared to the previous year. The area and yield of peanuts will significantly increase, with an expected output of 17 million tons. The yield of peanuts will have a restorative increase, and the production of characteristic oilseeds such as sunflowers and sesame will steadily increase. It is expected that the self-sufficiency rate of edible vegetable oil in China will reach around 32% by 2023.

From the market research of spring flower production areas and recent wheat stubble summer flower production areas, relevant institutions have found that this year, on the one hand, local governments attach great importance to the cultivation of oil crops and are making every effort to ensure area and yield. On the other hand, "scarcity is precious". The huge gap in the market and stable price increases have also strengthened the confidence of peanut growers. Therefore, there will be a restorative growth in the domestic peanut planting area in 2023, Especially the advantageous production areas of several main production areas will recover faster.
There is a positive correlation between the planting area of peanuts and peanut harvesters. Based on historical data, the demand for combine harvesters in agricultural machinery increases with the increase in planting area, and vice versa.
So in 2023, the benefits of the peanut combine harvester industry outweigh the disadvantages. Although there are factors such as price increases due to the fourth national upgrade, the subsidies for peanut combine harvesters in the main peanut producing areas have not decreased, which is conducive to maintaining users' enthusiasm for purchasing peanut harvesters.
2、 The "Matthew effect Effect" is highlighted, and the strong will always be strong
Peanut harvesters were originally a very niche industry that has not been valued by large enterprises for a long time. Before 2015, only three or four companies, including Zhengzhou Zhonglian and Henan Yudechang, were engaged in the production of peanut harvesters. However, after 2015, with the acceleration of land transfer in China, the scale of peanut planting continued to increase, and large-scale agriculture had a natural demand for efficient agricultural machinery, So the demand for peanut picking and harvesting machines with efficiency advantages began to increase.

In 2019, after the sales volume of the industry exceeded 5000 units, many domestic enterprises that originally produced wheat, rice and corn combine harvesters, such as Weichai Lovol, Zoomlion, Ward Agricultural Machinery, Shandong Juming, Changzhou Changfa, Xingguang Agricultural Machinery, Jin Dafeng, etc., almost all entered the peanut harvester industry.

The influx of numerous enterprises, on the one hand, intensifies industry competition, and on the other hand, competition forces enterprises to continuously introduce machines with higher efficiency, higher quality, and better quality. Good machines further promote the improvement of the scale level of peanut planting.

So in 2021, the domestic peanut planting area reached 72.08 million acres, and the sales of peanut picking and harvesting machines exceeded 7500 units that year. This means that theoretically, there is an average of one peanut picking and harvesting machine per 10000 acres. However, in fact, in areas suitable for machine harvesting such as Shandong and Henan, one peanut harvesting machine can serve 1500-3000 acres of peanuts.

The entry of dozens of enterprises has intensified industry competition, but it has also diluted the cost of market promotion and user education in the early stage of the industry. At the same time, competition has also made truly powerful enterprises stand out, such as Zhengzhou Zhonglian, which has won the first place in the industry for six consecutive years. In recent years, the company has become more and more competitive, not only increasing its sales volume, but also increasing its market share. Currently, Zhonglian peanut harvesters are recognized as the first brand in the industry.
3、 Thirty years of quality oriented approach, Zhengzhou Zhonglian remained the king during the Fourth National Congress period

Zhengzhou Zhonglian is a well-deserved peanut harvester expert in China, with six consecutive years of industry sales champion. At the same time, Zhengzhou Zhonglian's peanut harvester has been iteratively upgraded more than six times. In the first year of the implementation of the non road national emission standards in 2023, Zhengzhou Zhonglian launched a new upgraded H6 (4HJL-6 (G4)) based on the 2022 version of the 4HJL-6 sales champion.

The H6 peanut picking and harvesting machine adopts the internationally advanced "cutting flow+longitudinal axial flow double drum" fruit picking and sorting technology, equipped with a 175 horsepower premium engine, with sufficient power reserves, high power, and strong performance, leading the harvesting operation; The unique design of the picking and cutting table paired with a 900mm widened bridge ensures clean picking and smooth feeding without blockage, greatly improving work efficiency; The material of the cross bridge transport rake rod is thickened, and the active sprocket is made of steel, which is more wear-resistant and durable; The "cutting flow+longitudinal axial flow double drum" fruit picking technology is adopted, which ensures complete separation of seedlings and fruits and low damage rate. The entire vehicle has a brand new design and is beautiful and generous. The front windshield of the driver's cab is made of integral arc glass, which has better dust and noise reduction effects.
Compared to the old product, the 2023 H6 has added a passenger seat in the driver's cab, increasing the driving space and facilitating cross regional operations; The diameter of the gearbox clutch plate has been increased to 275mm, resulting in a 20% increase in load-bearing capacity; The straw removal system has also undergone significant upgrades, with the addition of fixed blades for better crushing effect and avoidance of blockage; Secondly, the fan shaft is thickened, resulting in a longer service life; Finally, the fan speed increases and the grass removal effect is better. For the convenience of the operator, the 23 H6 models are also equipped with a toolbox and a hand wash box, highlighting a more user-friendly design.
Overall, Zoomlion Harvest uses more advanced technology, thicker materials, and more user-friendly design to create a vibrant flower, which is difficult not to be welcomed by users and recognized by the market.
So, after 30 years of adhering to the quality oriented approach, Zhengzhou Zhonglian will still be the king of peanut harvesters during the Fourth National Day period.