[Explanation] Right now, 1.9 million mu of cotton planting is still in progress in Shaya County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. A large number of "smart agricultural machines" are operating throughout the field, and agricultural machinery has become the "main force" for cotton planting.
In a cotton field in Shaya County, two high-horsepower planters shuttle farming back and forth, which can complete operations such as film laying, drip irrigation tape, planting, and soil covering at one time. The planting is straight, the farming is accurate, and the operation rate is high. After mature, it is also convenient for mechanized harvesting.
[Concurrent] Zhao Hengshan, Agricultural Technician, Hailou Town, Shaya County, Xinjiang
Now we have basically achieved mechanization of sowing cotton. Our third-generation planter is now fast, with unmanned driving, all of which are navigation, sowing evenly and straight, not wasting land, and saving seeds. Now it is implemented. It is precision seeding.
[Explanation] Zhao Hengshan told reporters that each hole is a seed. In the past, one hole had to drop three or four. The labor intensity was very high. The farmers had to take a small bench and sit in the field every day to pull out cotton seedlings. No need now.
[Concurrent] Zhao Hengshan, Agricultural Technician, Hailou Town, Shaya County, Xinjiang
Now farmers are following behind, that is, looking at the drip irrigation belt, the seeds are like ours of more than 200 acres of land. Basically, if there are two planters, a little more than one day is basically over, because one planter can (plant) one plant a day. With 100 to 120 acres of land, the labor intensity of farmers is now greatly reduced, and work efficiency is greatly improved.
[Explanation] Shaya County is located on the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert. It has a warm temperate arid climate on the mainland. The light and heat resources are suitable for cotton growth. It has the unique advantage of developing the cotton industry. It is a national high-quality cotton production base county.
Li Yang, deputy director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Shaya County, introduced that in order to ensure the smooth progress of spring plowing, 100% of agricultural materials such as cotton seeds, fertilizers, mulching film and drip irrigation belts have been in place in Shaya County. More than 28,300 sets of various agricultural machinery and tools have been overhauled and tractors have been trained. There are 1,183 operators and more than 30,000 agricultural machinery and tools have been invested to ensure the smooth progress of cotton planting. The planting work is planned to be completed by the end of April.
[Concurrent] Li Yang, Deputy Director, Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Shaya County, Xinjiang
This year, our county plans to plant 1.9 million mu of cotton. In order to improve the quality of cotton, we will increase the cultivation of new business entities. The agricultural machinery cooperatives and some social service organizations will provide information similar to this high-standard farmland. This matching social service improves the quality of our cotton.
[Explanation] Through years of exploration and practice, the level of cotton production infrastructure and equipment in Shaya County has been continuously improved, the production technology has been mature, and the modern, large-scale, and mechanized development of cotton production has achieved initial results, and the transition from "traditional agriculture" to " A leap-forward transformation of modern agriculture.
Reporting by Zhao Yamin and Liu Yuzhu from Shaya County, Xinjiang
Editor in charge: [Lu Yan]