Not long ago, workers at the desert aquafarm in Hotan County on the southern edge of the Taklimakan were busy hauling in crabs.

By washing out salt, re-using fresh water and adding probiotics, the county now farms crab, bass and crayfish at scale, turning desert ponds into a pillar of rural revival.

"Farming fish to fight alkali" is quickly becoming Xinjiang's most vivid answer to salty, sterile soil. By breeding salt-tough crops and sharing water-saving, salt-cutting irrigation, the region is turning white wasteland into green profit and proving that ecology and income can rise together.

At Xinkailing Town in Alar City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang San'a Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. has cracked the code of salty water. One breakthrough now lets the same ponds raise blue crab, razor clam and grey mullet together, turning a single plot into three paychecks.

"We teamed up with a university to mix man-made seawater and keep the salt level spot-on," said Chen Wuqun, general manager of Xinjiang San'a Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. The firm's flagship green crab now averages 150 grams and tastes as fresh as any ocean catch. "So far we've sold over 15 tons of crab, white-leg shrimp and razor clams, and this year's output should top 10 million yuan (about 1.41 million U.S. dollars)," he added.

Growing top-grade rice on dry, salty ground is no longer a dream in Alar. This week, combines roll through 10,000 mu (about 667 hectares) of paddies at a rice growing base in Xingfu Town, Alar City. The fields sit on natural alkali soil, drink Tarim River water and bake under long hours of sun, turning out grains that stay pearly and taste sweet. "The crop looks strong and the quality is outstanding," said Zhou Qi, manager of Alar Golden Shaken Agriculture Development Co., Ltd.

The company sold 2,600 tons of rice last year and is on track to move more than 4,000 tons this year.

At present, 2,000 mu (about 133.4 hectares) of the paddies carry both China and EU organic seals.

"We never have enough bags to meet orders; most trucks head to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou," Zhou said. The plan is to keep expanding the fields and add new crops and on-site milling while holding the same quality line.

The potential of salt-tolerant rice is also showing in Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture.

"Our varieties are already planted across southern Xinjiang," said Chen Changqing, deputy director of the Rice Experimental Field R&D Center run by Xinjiang Jinfengyuan Seed Co., Ltd. in Tuohula Township.

The salt-tolerant rice varieties developed by the company have been promoted and planted in many places in southern Xinjiang, bringing high-quality rice from Xinjiang to more tables.

A state-level flagship in industrial farming, the firm runs the regional and commercial trials that the prefecture demands each year, constantly rolling out new rice lines and new growing techniques. Eight of its varieties already claim more than 90 percent of the southern Xinjiang's seed market. "Next we will make the plants even tougher," said Chen Changqing, "so they keep yielding well when water is short, the weather turns hot or the soil stays salty."

This year, Alar found one more use for its salty ground: earning cash while holding back the sand.

At Huaqiao Town, 4,200 mu (about 280.14 hectares) of giant reed are thriving and lush.

"Giant reeds are not only ecological guardians that fix sand and protect soil, but also have high economic value," said Yang Shangkun, director of the Production and Operation Department of Xinjiang Liangshan Eco-Restoration Co., Ltd.

The firm planted 5,500 mu (about 366.85 hectares) this spring and expects 1,500 tons of dry stalk worth 600 yuan per mu, proof that ecological barrier and steady income can grow side by side.

(Source: Economic Daily, Reporter: Geng Dandan)