With labor shortage in Heilongjiang, workers head north to plant rice

In the last two weeks, tens of thousands of migrant workers have climbed aboard trains at Suihua Railway Station in Heilongjiang province, hoping to take advantage of a seasonal window to earn extra money.

Because there are not enough local farmhands to plant rice seedlings on the Sanjiang Plain, groups of migrant workers descend on the area for several weeks each year. Most of them come from rural parts of Harbin, Qiqihar and Suihua, in Heilongjiang.

Because the climate is different on the plain, spring sowing can be done at a different time, giving many farmers in the region a chance to double up on planting - and income.