Chinanews, Urumqi, Jan. 16 – A couple of months ago, a delegation in Tacheng in northwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region organized an exhibition fair for its agricultural products in its neighboring country Kazakhstan. At the exhibition, two tons of melons and fruits produced in Xinjiang were sold out in just two days, “a great surprise” to the delegation members.

 

The success of the exhibition only reflects part of the great achievement made in Xinjiang’s melon and fruit growing industry. Xinjiang has been known as the hometown of melons and fruits. Due to its unique weather and soil conditions, melons and gruits grown there taste sweet and juicy. In recent years, boosted by great market demand, Xinjiang has witnessed unprecedented opportunities for its melon and fruit industry development.

 

Xinjiang borders on many countries in Central Asia and has lots of land ports linking it with these countries. Its melons and fruits, which taste good and sell at a relatively cheap price, are very popular among people living in this region. In recent years, fruits such as apples, pears and grapes are exported to countries like Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to become common fruits in the markets there.

 

Information from the Kashgar Customs Office shows that in 2006, about 40,000 tons of fruits and melons were exported to Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries from the southern part of Xinjiang. The value of these fruits was worth 15 million US dollars.

 

More and more goods are exported to Pakistan from Hongjilapu. Among these goods, fruits produced in Kashgar have increased year on year currently to account for one-third of its total export. Fruits and melons have become the major goods that Xinjiang exports to Pakistan.