Tuerxun Keqike，Cotton Planter of Yecheng County, Kashgar

My name is Tuerxun Keqike, 40 years old, and I am a cotton planter in Aketashi Town, Yecheng County in southern Xinjiang. There are 5 members in my family. I was born and grew up in the town and since I became an adult I began to learn from my parents in planting cotton. It has been 16 years since I first started planting cotton independently, and now I am working on 320 mu of arable land, all of which is used to grow cotton. Last year, the net income for planting cotton is 15,000 yuan and we are enjoying a wonderful life now.

In order to manage the land well, I employed 10 workers and we signed the labor contract before starting the actual work. From April to October, in about the 6 months of time in cotton planting, I paid the management fee and the salary for the workers on time according to the contract. At present, in the whole process of cotton planting from spreading fertilizer to watering and so on, the mechanized and artificial intelligence system is used and it only takes the step of pushing a button to finish a certain procedure. The high power tractors are used in cultivating land, sowing seed, taking out weed and spraying pesticide, which is convenient and efficient. In the season of harvesting cotton, people in nearby places and far-away places came to work on the field and each year we employ about 30 such workers. I sign contract with them as with the regular workers and I pay them on time according to the time settled between us in the contract. This year, I am managing another 180 mu of land, besides the 320 mu that I was managing. So this year the total area is about 500 mu and because of that I am planning to buy an unmanned aerial vehicle to do such work as spraying pesticide in order to save more on human labor and cost and to increase the cotton production.

By planting cotton the income for my family increases year by year and now we have some considerable savings . I also helped to improve employment of the villager and provide opportunities to increase their income. Some western companies recently made the claim that they would stop using cotton produced in Xinjiang and they even ridiculously remarked that there is “forced labor” in cotton planting in Xinjiang. What they said is just sheer nonsense. They know nothing about Xinjiang at all and their malicious intention is known to the world! Now we are enjoying our happy life. My villagers and I got rid of poverty. Our life is much better than any time in history! The lies you made up are like the stones that you lift up. They will smash your own feet one day ultimately!