Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Yu Jiangyan) news: On October 21, 2024, a delegation of journalists and social media influencers visited Sanhe Town in Awat County to learn about the situation of mechanical cotton picking in Xinjiang.

Aerial photo taken on October 21, 2024 shows a cotton picker shuttles in a cotton field in Sanhe Town, Awat County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zou Yi)

Awat is known as the "Town of Cotton" in China. The journalist’s livestreaming highlighted 430 mu (about 28.67 hectares) of cotton fields cultivated by Aili Naimaiti, a cotton farmer in Sanhe Town. An internet influencer from Thailand was surprised to learn that Aili Naimaiti manages such a large area of land on his own.

Photo taken on October 21, 2024, shows a journalist from the Eurasia Center of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration interviews Aili Naimaiti, a cotton farmer in Sanhe Town, Awat County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/Zou Yi)

"It's easy to grow cotton now!" Aili Naimaiti introduced that the entire process, from sowing to harvesting, is mechanized. Even watering is automated. He simply opens an application on his phone to activate the watering valve, and the drip irrigation system takes care of the rest.

Aili Naimaiti and his family of four live happily. His wife runs a clothing store, and their two children attend school. Aili dreams of acquiring more land to grow even more cotton. "Here, I am a small cotton farmer," he said. In an interview with a journalist, Aili expressed his ambition to plant thousands of mu of cotton within one to two years. "With the current level of mechanization, I can manage 1,000 mu (about 66.66 hectares) of cotton by myself," he said.

Two cotton pickers were operating in Aili Naimaiti's fields. "It is estimated that the yield per mu will reach 450 to 500 kg. After accounting for planting costs, the income per mu will be about 1,800 yuan (about 252.74 U.S. dollars)," Aili Naimaiti calculated with delight.

Aili Naimaiti's cotton field has been expanded by merging six smaller cotton fields. This transformation not only increases the overall area of the cotton fields but also facilitates mechanized operations.

The vast landscape was blanketed in white cotton, and the cotton pickers created elegant patterns across the fields. Captivated by the beauty of the cotton fields, foreign journalists were busy livestreaming and capturing short videos.

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