As the roar of the engine echoed, a "mountain mini-train" carrying over 300 kilograms of compound fertilizer slowly chugged along the "single-track" on a steep slope of about 40 degrees into the orchard, stopping and starting as it went, distributing over a dozen bags of fertilizer to the required orchards in no time. In the hilly orchards of Zhenwu Mountain in Nanan Town, Suijiang County, caretaker Yang Hua and his colleagues were rushing to fertilize the fruit trees. Zhenwu Mountain is high and steep, and in the past, all the fertilizer had to be carried up the mountain manually. The 620-acre orchard required approximately 1,400 tons of fertilizer, and it took 50 or more workers two months to carry it daily. "With the 'mountain mini-train,' we have finally bid farewell to the era of carrying fertilizer up the mountain manually."

Suijiang County, renowned as the "Land of Pearls," has planted 100,000 acres of "Half-Red" plums. Most of these plums are grown on steep hillsides, making fertilizer transportation and fruit harvesting challenging for farmers. In 2022, the county's agriculture department assisted farmers by constructing a 4,000-meter transport track within the orchards, covering all areas, and provided 10 mountain terrain transport vehicles, effectively solving the transportation issue through "machine replacing man."

By the end of the day, the workload of the rail transport vehicle is equivalent to that of 18 workers. At a wage rate of 100 yuan per worker per day, this would amount to 1,800 yuan. With the mountain rail vehicle, however, just 2 workers and a small amount of fuel are needed, saving 1,500 yuan in costs daily. While saving costs, the mountain rail transport vehicle also boosts labor efficiency by over 40%.

In recent years, Suíjiāng County has promoted the high-quality development of the "Half-Red" plum industry, constructing a 620-acre modern agricultural demonstration park in Zhenwushan, Nan'an Town. In addition to mountain track vehicles, the orchard is equipped with an integrated intelligent irrigation system for water and fertilizer, and large drones are used for pest and disease control. The addition of various technological methods not only makes orchard management more time and labor-saving but also enhances the yield and quality of the plums.