(ENCS) -- Sowing has commenced across 1.9 million cotton fields in Xayar County, supported by the application of intelligent agricultural machinery.
"Cotton seed sowing has largely been mechanized here. Our third generation sowing machine, equipped with a navigation system, is very fast. It sows evenly in straight lines, saving seeds and land," said agrotechnician Zhao Hengshan.
The use of intelligent agricultural machinery has reduced labor intensity and improved the efficiency. "Now, cotton farmers need only pay attention to seeds and drip irrigation belts. A sowing machine can cover about 6.67 to 8 hectares of land a day," Zhao said.
Located on the northern edge of Taklamakan Desert, Xayar has light and heat resources suitable for cotton growth. As such, it has become a national production base of high-quality cotton. Adequate amounts of agricultural materials like cotton seeds, fertilizer, plastic film and drip irrigation belts have been prepared, over 28,300 sets of agricultural machinery overhauled, 1,183 tractor operators trained, and more than 30,000 sets of agricultural machinery put into use to serve Xayar's cotton sowing, a local official said. Sowing will be finished in April as scheduled, it was added.
Initial success has been achieved in terms of modernization, sowing scale and mechanization of cotton production in Xayar after years of exploration and practice. The county has realized the leap-forward transformation from "traditional agriculture" to "modern agriculture".
