Editor's note: Xinjiang, the largest cotton-producing area in China, is entering this year's cotton planting season with vigor. In this three-part series, Xinhua will map the past and present of Xinjiang's cotton industry, revealing its resilience and continued dynamism despite the sanctions imposed under false claims of "forced labor" from the West. This third installment zooms in on one Uygur farmer's story and the ethnic relations in Xinjiang's cotton fields.
URUMQI, April 24 (Xinhua) -- For Ababekri Memet, a Uygur farmer from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, cotton has long been a symbol of prosperity and ethnic harmony.
Ababekri's family runs an agricultural cooperative that manages a 320-hectare cotton field, where farming machinery and drones have replaced manual labor and are operated by dozens of employees from various ethnic groups, including Uygur and Han.
"Planting cotton is our choice because it brings us prosperity," said the 37-year-old farmer, who is currently busy with spring sowing.
Xinjiang is one of the world's largest cotton-producing regions, with about 5.69 million tonnes of cotton harvested in 2024. The cotton industry has become a key pillar in improving the livelihoods of the locals.
Located south of the Tianshan Mountains, Xayar County -- where Ababekri is from -- is one of Xinjiang's earliest areas to begin cotton sowing annually. Around 80 percent of cotton farmers in Xayar, home to a population of over 260,000, are Uygur.
In recent years, the cotton planting area in Xayar has remained stable at around 1.8 million mu (approximately 120,000 hectares).
On Ababekri's cotton field, a tractor equipped with BeiDou satellite navigation moved automatically, planting seeds while laying drip irrigation tubing and plastic mulch. Thanks to mechanization, the entire seeding process was completed in just over 10 days.
Ababekri's father decided to switch to cotton cultivation two decades ago. In 2003, he replaced approximately 1.33 hectares of wheat with cotton after seeing his neighbors reap profits from the cash crop.
"Back then, I resented the decision, as the work in cotton fields was tiring," Ababekri said, recalling the autumns spent hand-picking cotton with his family. "But my father believed it was our path to a better life."
That belief, along with a significant rise in income, spurred further expansion. In 2018, Ababekri's family founded an agricultural cooperative and began taking land on lease from local farmers. Over the years, such cooperatives have mushroomed across the county, now totaling 103 of varying sizes.
The cooperative has become a symbol of Xinjiang's agricultural modernization. Over the years, it has invested in satellite-guided machinery, drones, and a John Deere cotton harvester to efficiently manage its expanding cotton fields.
Mechanization has transformed the region. According to the Xinjiang Cotton Association, 100 percent of cotton planting and 90 percent of harvesting are now mechanized, marking a sharp contrast to the manual methods Ababekri once knew.
During harvest season, Gao Lin, a 36-year-old driver of Han ethnicity, is hired to operate the John Deere harvester.
"I earn nearly 100,000 yuan (about 13,600 U.S. dollars) a year during the cotton season, which is an important income for my family," said Gao, who works for multiple farmers from various ethnic groups.
It is common for Uygur farmers to hire Han workers in the fields. "What matters is who gets the job done best," he said.
Such collaborations continue to thrive despite U.S. sanctions imposed over unfounded "forced labor" allegations. In 2024, Xinjiang's cotton output increased by 574,000 tonnes compared to 2023.
As he stood by the freshly sown fields, Ababekri gazed thoughtfully at his journey. "We chose cotton in pursuit of a better life, and now, we are living that dream," he mused. ■