(Yicai Global) Nov. 7 -- China's first demonstration of the use of fifth-generation mobile networks in smart agricultural machinery took place in Shanghai's Chongming district today.

A thousand acres of 5G-linked rice fields on a local farm were successfully harvested with the help of smart machinery under the command of the Chongming Smart Management Platform, the Shanghai Observer reported. Intelligent farm machines, crop protection robots, unmanned harvesters and drones were involved.

Such smart machinery only requires one operator and can be controlled from afar. For example, the super non-polluting tractor can self-drive or be driven remotely. It uses lithium batteries, is easy to control and reduces manpower costs.

With the help of 5G technology's large bandwidth and low latency capabilities, our intelligent agricultural machinery can explore the surrounding environment comprehensively and quickly, said an official from the Chongming District Committee of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The 5G network greatly improves the safety and feasibility of our tasks, he added. It provides more accurate positioning services which will help us gradually realize efficient management of all networked agricultural machines across the district.