URUMQI: As temperatures rise, farmers in the southern part of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are preparing for this year’s spring farming season amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In Pishan County of Hotan Prefecture, NurmemetNurehmet from Go La Village began plowing, watering and fertilizing the soil early in the morning. He plans to seed his field with wheat and corn.
“I also plan to plant some cotton, and hopefully I can earn an annual income of 60,000 to 70,000 yuan (about 8,545 to 9,970 U.S. dollars) this year,” said NurmemetNurehmet. In order to prevent and curb the epidemic, the village committee will take charge of the irrigation of all land to avoid a dense crowd.
The village would also help distribute agricultural materials from local wholesales center to local farmers.
In Makit County of Kashgar Prefecture, local authorities are helping farmers to transplant vegetables to greenhouses from the field so as to ensure earlier planting and ensuing earlier yielding.
Now about 29,000 greenhouses in the county have been set up to facilitate spring plowing in a bid to increase production.
AutTuleki has completed ridging and film mulching in his backyard greenhouse and is prepared to transplant tomatoes and pepper seedlings.
“We are guided by agricultural professionals, and there are also volunteers helping us with fertilization and irrigation,” said AutTuleki.
It is expected that all the farmers in Makit County will have their greenhouses ready and plants transplanted in early March. Local data showed that so far about 4,267 hectares of vegetables have been planted in Xinjiang, which is expected to produce 316,000 tonnes of vegetables available for sale between March and early May.
– The Daily Mail-People’s Daily News exchange item
