Efficient water-saving irrigation promotes high-quality agricultural development.

In recent years, Huocheng County, Xinjiang has earnestly implemented the water governance concept of "prioritizing water conservation, balancing spatial water allocation, conducting systematic management, and making efforts through both government and market means". It has taken the construction of efficient water-saving irrigation as a top priority, vigorously improved agricultural production conditions, relied on scientific and technological progress to develop high-yield, high-quality and high-efficiency agriculture. While increasing farmers' income and improving the utilization rate of irrigation water, it has promoted the high-quality development of agriculture.

On the 16th, the reporter saw at Yihui Vegetable Planting Professional Cooperative in Yangbulak Village, Huiyuan Town, Huocheng County that workers were conducting irrigation operations on more than 2,000 mu (a unit of area, 1 mu ≈ 0.0667 hectares) of field vegetables. Currently, it is the high-temperature period, and water in the fields evaporates quickly. Crops need sufficient water for growth; otherwise, their normal growth will be affected. However, Zhang Baochun, the person in charge of the cooperative, has no worries at all. This is all because a water-saving drip irrigation project was installed last year with the help of the Huocheng County Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Zhang Baochun, Vice Chairman and Director of Yihui Vegetable Planting Professional Cooperative, said: "Drip irrigation for water conservation can help us save water, labor and fertilizers, and increase the yield and output value of vegetables. For these 2,000 mu of land, if we used manual irrigation, it would require at least 10 workers and take one month. Now, we only have two employees assigned to this task, and it takes at most 10 days to irrigate the land once. Irrigating these 2,000 mu of land once can save about 300,000 cubic meters of water."

Since its establishment, Yihui Vegetable Planting Professional Cooperative has operated under the "farmers + cooperative" model. It cultivates a large area of vegetables such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, and carrots, which are then sold to surrounding counties and cities. Field operations require a large number of laborers, with more than 60 workers employed daily. This not only drives the income growth of poor households in the local area and its vicinity but also promotes the development of the local economy.

Benefiting from the construction of the water-saving irrigation project, water and chemical fertilizers are scientifically proportioned. This not only makes the operation convenient and efficient but also enables crops to better absorb nutrients, improves soil fertility, and enhances the comprehensive agricultural production capacity.

Zhang Baochun, Vice Chairman and Director of Yihui Vegetable Planting Professional Cooperative, said: "For the potatoes, carrots, and onions planted this year, the yield per mu can increase by 1 to 1.5 tons. In the future, our cooperative will continue to develop in a large-scale and scientific manner, contributing to the promotion of high-quality agricultural development."

As of now this year, Huocheng County has implemented water-saving irrigation projects in Lanqian Township, Sandaohe Township, Qingshuihe Town, and Huiyuan Town, covering a total area of 20,220 mu. The total investment of the projects is 18 million yuan, of which 17.28 million yuan is allocated to water conservancy facilities, accounting for 96.00% of the total investment. It is estimated that the increased output value can reach 2.7612 million yuan, and the newly added per capita net income will be 208.77 yuan. (Peng Xiangming, Ma Xuexia)

(China Daily Xinjiang Correspondent Station)

Source: China Daily Website