At a greenhouse in Mashang town, Anyang city, in Central China's Henan province, farmers are busy using smart equipment to irrigate and water sweet melon plants, and looking forward to a bountiful harvest.

During recent years, such smart greenhouses have been built throughout the area, which not only accelerates the development of local specialty agriculture, but also significantly contributes to farmers' livelihoods.

Bai Wenying, a local sweet melon grower, said the smart equipment – such as integrated water and fertilizer equipment, and automatic vent openers – help improve both the quality and yield of the harvest, and make products more popular in the market.

Bai said more than 2,600 hectares of greenhouses in Mashang are being used to grow sweet melon plants, which are expected to produce 240,000 metric tons of fruit and generate more than 500 million yuan ($69 million) in revenue per year.

With the smart greenhouses in place, there has inevitably been a surge in demand for electricity but, thanks to the local power supplier, the farmers have not had any worries about power supply.

Cooperating with the local government, the State Grid's Anyang Power Supply Co said it has actively improved customer services based on the development plan of Mashang's sweet melon planting industry.

The company said it regularly sends workers to local greenhouses to collect suggestions from farmers, inspect electrical equipment, and eliminate safety hazards.

Additionally, the company said it will intensify its efforts to promote the upgrading and transformation of the local power grid, thus helping foster more specialty industries in Mashang town.

liuzizheng@chinadaily.com.cn