Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Otkur Nijat) news: On June 15, 2025, at the desert control experimental station in the Houheba desert control area in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the lush green Platycodon grandiflorus seedlings were thriving. Workers were busy with field operations such as replanting and tending to the Platycodon in the desert.

Photo taken on June 15, 2025 shows workers carry out field operations such as replanting and tending to Platycodon at the desert control experimental station in the Houheba desert control area in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Photo taken on June 15, 2025 shows a worker carries out field operations such as replanting and tending to Platycodon at the desert control experimental station in the Houheba desert control area in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Located on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, Minfeng County has long faced severe wind-blown sand and fragile ecological conditions. In recent years, the county has been committed to exploring ecological restoration and economic development, achieving a win-win situation in desert control and economic growth.

To boost the economic returns from desert control, Minfeng County has set up a desert control experimental station, featuring both experimental and seedling cultivation zones. The experimental zone has tested the cultivation of 22 types of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, including Codonopsis and Salvia, as well as over 10 economic crops such as peanuts, sunflowers, and turnip. Varieties suitable for the local sandy soil and climate are selected and promoted.

The seedling cultivation zone focuses on growing tree species like Populus euphratica (desert poplar) and Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) to meet the demands of desert control projects. Meanwhile, the county actively collaborates with institutions such as Xinjiang Agricultural University, Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University, and Xinjiang Yuanda Traditional Chinese Medicine Planting Co., Ltd., to provide technical guidance for planting.

Photo taken on June 15, 2025 shows a worker handles red dates for processing in the cold storage facility at the red date base in the Houheba desert control area in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Photo taken on June 15, 2025 shows apricot trees planted within straw checkerboard grids thrive in the combined engineering and biological desert control area of the Houheba desert control area in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In addition to these efforts, Minfeng County has introduced preferential policies to encourage farmers to lease sandy land for developing desert industries. This has not only effectively stabilized sand dunes but also boosted local employment. Currently, 419 households across seven townships have leased over 40,700 mu (about 2,713 hectares) of sandy land. Over 600 local workers are directly employed in desert control projects, securing stable incomes close to home. Through these initiatives, vegetation cover in the county's deserts has increased year by year. The protective effects of forested areas have become more pronounced, biodiversity indicators have improved, and the ecosystem remains healthy and stable, with a gradually strengthened ecological barrier.

Moving forward, Minfeng County will actively implement a series of projects, including windbreak and sand fixation, wetland restoration, and village greening. The county remains committed to prioritizing ecological development, protecting the environment, and treating a healthy ecology as its greatest asset and wealth. Efforts to accelerate the construction of ecological barriers will continue.

Photo taken on June 15, 2025 shows a corner of the desert control site in the Houheba desert control area in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Photo taken on June 15, 2025 shows a view from a corner of the Niya National Wetland Park in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

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