From October 9th to 16th, representatives of 16 overseas Chinese media organizations from 15 countries, including Australia, Germany, Sweden, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast, sequentially visited Aksu Prefecture, Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Urumqi, and various other locations. Their mission was to gain insights into the changes in Xinjiang's economic and social development, experience the unique charm of Xinjiang, and document and report authentic stories from Xinjiang.
On October 10th, in the cotton fields of Tagerergemu Village in Tarim Township, Shaya County, South Xinjiang, the snow-white cotton bolls were in abundance, as mechanical cotton pickers shuttled back and forth for mechanized harvesting. (Photo by Liu Yuzhu)
On October 11th, the media team arrived in Shaya County, Aksu Prefecture, just as Xinjiang's cotton harvest season was in full swing. With 1.75 million acres of cotton fields ripe for the picking, the use of mechanized harvesting technologies not only eased the workload but also boosted the income of local cotton farmers.
On October 11th, the media delegation visited Shaya Boshiran Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd., getting a close look at the cotton pickers. (Photo by Yang Zhihong)
The journalists paid a visit to the Boshiran Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. Founded in March 2018, this company features comprehensive assembly workshops, warehouses, sheet metal workshops, a cafeteria, and an exhibition hall, encompassing a total construction area of 56,000 square meters. This enterprise is a modern and intelligent agricultural machinery manufacturer that integrates research, production, sales, and service, both online and offline. They boast an annual design capacity of 50 six-row cotton-picking machines, 400 three-row cotton-picking machines, 1000 film retrieval machines, and 1000 seeders, with their products primarily distributed across the four southern regions of Xinjiang. The company's revolutionary six-row cotton-picking machine with a self-propelled picking head is the first of its kind in China, with proprietary intellectual property rights. Presently, the company has applied for 45 patents, of which 38 have been granted, and an impressive 85% of these granted patents have been converted into tangible technological advancements. It's worth noting that this company has also established a regional postdoctoral research station. With a progression from the initial towed machines to the current self-propelled models, the company has amassed 178 patents in the cotton-picking machinery domain, filling the gaps in the domestic market. Over the last two years, the enterprise has consistently maintained sales of over 400 units annually, and its output value exceeded five billion yuan in 2022, making it a prominent player in China's cotton-picking machinery industry.
Shaya Boshiran Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. is located at 48 Renmin South Road, Shaya County, covering an area of 220 mu (about 14.67 hectares). (Photo by Lin Qiongsi)
During the on-site cotton harvesting process, the cotton-picking and baling machine can produce a "golden egg" of approximately 1.5 tons in just 15 minutes. To put it in perspective, if manual cotton picking were used, a cotton picker would need nearly two weeks to achieve the same result. The three-row cotton-picking and baling machine can harvest 10 to 15 mu (about 1.5 to 2.5 acres) of cotton per hour. This not only significantly improves efficiency but also reduces the per-mu harvesting cost to a mere quarter of what it is for manual picking. Consequently, more and more cotton farmers are opting for these convenient and efficient mechanized harvesting methods.
Over the last two years, Boshiran Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. has consistently maintained sales of over 400 units annually, and its output value exceeded five billion yuan in 2022, making it a prominent player in China's cotton-picking machinery industry. (Photo by Lin Qiongsi)
Liu Guijiang, the Chief Editor of the German Overseas Chinese Newspaper, expressed his admiration for Xinjiang's endeavors in industrialization and agricultural modernization. He noted that Xinjiang has collaborated with mainland Chinese companies in numerous successful research and product development ventures, resulting in a wealth of patented technologies. He believes that, with continued efforts to inspire these tech-savvy individuals and increase support for industrialization, Xinjiang will undoubtedly lead the nation in the field of agricultural machinery.
On October 10th, in the cotton fields of Tagerergemu Village in Tarim Township, Shaya County, South Xinjiang, the snow-white cotton bolls were in abundance, as mechanical cotton pickers shuttled back and forth for mechanized harvesting. (Photo by Liu Yuzhu)
Shaya County, located on the northern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert, benefits from abundant water, soil, and sunlight resources. Its climate is classified as a continental arid temperate zone, providing ideal conditions for cotton cultivation. The region consistently maintains a cotton planting area of around 1.9 million acres, earning it the title of a national high-quality cotton production base, a modern agricultural demonstration zone, and an efficient water-saving income-increasing pilot zone. Shaya County is renowned as the "Hometown of China's Tarim Cotton."
Boasting longer hours of sunshine and dry climate, Xinjiang is an ideal place for growing cotton, making it a major cotton-producing region in China. In 2022, Xinjiang produced 90 percent of total cotton harvested across China. (Photo by Lin Qiongsi)
Beginning in 2017, Shaya County initiated significant efforts to promote efficient and water-saving agriculture. These measures included cultivating new types of agricultural entities, fostering moderately sized operations, and transforming small, fragmented land parcels into large, well-organized fields. As a result, canal systems and ridges were reduced by approximately 40%, and land utilization rates increased by around 10%. This transformation effectively resolved critical issues such as land fragmentation, decentralized operations, low levels of farmer organization, inconsistent crop structures, and a high number of direct laborers. The county organized 315 cotton planting cooperatives and 32 family farms, promoting various forms of moderately sized operations totaling 1.53 million acres. Shaya County has committed to producing more than 800,000 acres of cotton under order, thus creating favorable conditions for fully mechanized operations, the promotion of advanced and applicable agricultural technologies, and the development of modern agriculture. Furthermore, Shaya County has implemented subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery, facilitating full mechanization of cotton production. They have nurtured 78 agricultural machinery service cooperatives, with 11 socialized agricultural machinery service stations established by leading enterprises. Currently, the mechanization rate of cotton harvesting across the entire county exceeds 94%, resulting in an average comprehensive cost savings of over 500 yuan per acre.
On October 11th, a journalist from Huafei News Agency personally experienced picking cotton in the cotton fields of Shaya County. (Photo by Xue Xiaojiao)
Shaya County has also been actively engaged in projects related to water conservancy informatization, the promotion of socialized services, and the establishment of grassroots agricultural technology service networks. Over time, this has led to the gradual development of a comprehensive modern agricultural industrial system, production system, and management system. As the quality of services improves, agricultural modernization has made significant progress. The Shaya Model for modern agricultural development has proven to be replicable and expandable.
On October 10th, in the cotton fields of Tagerergemu Village in Tarim Township, Shaya County, South Xinjiang, the snow-white cotton bolls were in abundance, as mechanical cotton pickers shuttled back and forth for mechanized harvesting. (Photo by Liu Yuzhu)
In 2023, Shaya County is poised to cultivate 1.75 million acres of cotton, all utilizing mechanical cotton-picking methods. With over 380 cotton-picking machines in operation, it is expected that the mechanized cotton harvesting rate will surpass 95%, resulting in a total yield exceeding 260,000 tons. This achievement further illuminates the brilliance of Xinjiang's agricultural modernization, presenting yet another facet of the beauty of Xinjiang to the world.
By Lin Qiongsi, Chief editor of Huafei News Agency