Fruit trees prosper in the desert

Jujube cultivation has helped lift rural natives of Ruoqiang out of poverty

When asked to name a delicacy from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, many people mention jujube, a fruit known for its sweet taste and medicinal value.

Ruoqiang county, located in the northeastern Taklimakan Desert, is a major production area for jujube, which forms a pillar of the local economy and earns the county its reputation as the home of Chinese jujube.

Ruoqiang is not far from the ruins of Loulan city, which was capital of the Loulan or Kroraina Kingdom about 2,000 years ago and was famous for its place on the ancient Silk Road and sudden disappearance into history.

Droughts and sandstorms are common in the county, yet the dry environment is perfect for jujube growth. With help from experts, over the past 20 years the area has been gradually shaking off its poverty by growing jujube trees.

"We would cut down overgrown buds in order to make a jujube tree grow much better," said Sun Wenqi, chief engineer of Henan Haoxiangni Jujube Co, while standing in front of one such tree in Ruoqiang.

"This kind of jujube is named gray jujube, originally introduced from my hometown, but Xinjiang is a better place to grow it."

The 64-year-old, whose hometown of Xinzheng city is another popular jujube growing region nearly 3,000 km away, has spent much of the past 20 years or more planting trees in Xinjiang and teaching the local people how to grow jujubes.

"I am happy to teach people here," he said, pointing proudly to a large wooded area at the Chinese Jujube Industry Experimental Base in Ruoqiang county.

Sun has spent about six months, every year for the past 20 years, working in Xinjiang. He calls himself a "bird" migrating between Henan and Xinjiang, which he considers a second home.

He has grown accustomed to the local cuisine and the way rice is eaten by balling it in your hands - Xinjiang culture has become a part of his life.

"Jujube seeds were brought to Xinjiang by chance, they rooted, sprouted and flowered here. Now they are helping the Xinjiang people become richer," Sun said.

Each year, Sun and other experts train about 10,000 local people, teaching them when and how to harvest jujube and answering their questions about the fruit's cultivation.

However, the process was not so easy at first.

"We met a lot of resistance," said Sun. "Most local people did not believe such a small seed would bring wealth for them. They insisted on continuing raising sheep or growing cotton instead."

Usman Memetimin is one of the local Uygur people who once resisted planting the fruit. He thought jujube trees were only good for feeding sheep.

Before 2010, his family of five lived in a dried brick house. Their total annual income was 20,000 yuan ($3,035), which came from growing cotton and corn.

"Planting jujubes changed everything," he said. Now, his family can earn more than 400,000 yuan a year by growing jujube trees on a 1.93-hectare plot. He has built a new house, bought a car, and sent his grandchildren to school.

Jian Xiaodong, head of Ruoqiang's publicity department, said the annual net income for a family in the county reached 28,000 yuan last year - a 13-fold increase within 15 years.

In recent years, Sun's company has invested more than 400 million yuan in Xinjiang, including in Aksu city and Ruoqiang county. The total value from the jujube yield is over 2 billion yuan, he said.

"Jujube has even promoted the development of the local tourism and service industry," Jian added.

qixin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/24/2016 page6)