Once upon a time, the army of cotton picking was still a social landscape. Every September, a list of 'special trains' of cotton farmers in various provinces went to Xinjiang, and hundreds of thousands of cotton-collecting troops solved the cotton picking problems in Xinjiang and increased the farmers’ Source of income.
In recent years, there have been fewer and fewer cotton picking troops in Xinjiang. The cotton picking army has faded out, mainly because local cotton has basically achieved mechanized picking. Local cotton industry people told reporters that there are now some cotton plots except for southern Xinjiang. The other cotton areas in Xinjiang have basically achieved mechanization.
In recent years, Xinjiang's land circulation speed has increased, large-scale planting, and improved technical level have made it possible to mechanize picking. On the other hand, with various financial support, farmers, agricultural peasants, agricultural machinery and other financial links have been opened. A 'financial + cotton' industrial chain began to extend upstream and downstream.
In early September, cotton in Xinjiang has been extensively bloomed. In Changji, there are hundreds of thousands of acres of cotton fields, and a piece of cotton is laid on the ground like snowflakes.
Yunnan Zhaotong people Gao Shiqiang, at the age of 18, first followed his parents to pick cotton in Xinjiang. Now he has been in Xinjiang for 14 years. 'We were still picking cotton four years ago, and now they are mechanized. ' Gao Shiqiang said, If the cost of manual picking is 2.5 yuan per kilogram, the machine operation only needs 160 yuan per acre.
After working in cotton fields in Xinjiang for many years, Gao Shiqiang, who has gradually accumulated savings, began to contract land. He started from contracting 40 mu of land. After eight years of development, Gao Shiqiang now contracted more than 800 mu of land in Changji Yonghong Team, all used to grow cotton.
Li Aibo, a farmer service provider in Changji, currently has six large-scale cotton pickers, serving ten thousand mu of cotton fields in the local area. These cotton pickers operate 24 hours a day during the cotton picking season. 'The intensity is very large. One team of four people serves one. The cotton picker, like the driver's salary, is tens of thousands of dollars.'
Li Aibo said that agricultural machinery services are industries that require a lot of money. From buying machines to services, there are more than 3 million cotton machines. In addition, we have to supply millions of parts. If there is a temporary problem, one car loses 70,000 a day. In the past few years, Li Aibo relied mainly on his own funds, but the financial pressure is still very large.
'In the cotton picking season, maintenance costs, fuel costs, labor wages, etc., more than three million in two months. 'Since last year, Li Aibo received credit from the Agricultural Development and Mortgage Department, and all of the 1 million funds were used to purchase parts. In preparation for the upcoming cotton picking season.