Kareboz Kurmanbekov 

I am an agricultural expert working at Kyrgyz National Agricultural University in Kyrgyzstan, mainly engaged in the research of agricultural science and technology. Recently, I have paid special attention to the development of agricultural science and technology in Xinjiang in recent years. Kyrgyzstan and China are friendly neighbors. In 2019, I went to Xinjiang, China to attended the Central Asian Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation Seminar organized by Xinjiang Agricultural University. At the meeting, I discussed with Chinese agricultural experts  in depth about the reasons for the rapid development of agriculture in Xinjiang in recent years. Xinjiang Uyghur Muslim farmers obtain a bumper harvest by taking advantage of the Internet plus agricultural technology promoted by the Chinese government. With the help of the e-commerce mode, farmers in Xinjiang sell specialty agricultural products, yielding huge benefits. Moreover, everyone lives a happy and well-off life, which greatly stimulated my interest in the study of the pattern of Xinjiang farmers’ becoming rich.  

According to friends from Xinjiang Agricultural University, in recent years, with the rapid development of  Internet plus mode and construction of “Belt &Road” initiative proposed by China, the construction of the “Digital Silk Road” continues to advance in Xinjiang, enabling Xinjiang Uyghur Muslim farmers to enjoy the huge bonus brought by Internet plus mode. For example, in 2016, Xinjiang Fruit Industry Group cooperated with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group to move the Asia-Europe Expo online for the first time, gathering quality goods from 14 countries along the route of Silk Road for the first time, and completed sales of 28 million yuan in 3 days. Moreover, Xinjiang relies on Internet plus mode to actively promote the development of cross-border e-commerce modes. For example, with the help of cross-border e-commerce model, the dream that all specialty products like Russian chocolate, Georgian wine, Kazakhstan flour, and Greek olive oil from countries along the route of Silk Road can be bought by Chinese consumers becomes a reality. At the same time, Xinjiang has also seized the great opportunity of carrying out construction of “Belt & Road” initiative, actively participated in international exchanges and cooperation, used the preferential policies to bring in the resources of the countries along the route and carry out in-depth processing in the Comprehensive Free Trade Zone to help Xinjiang’s economic development.

In addition, with the development of rural e-commerce clusters in Xinjiang, the number of agricultural products has continuously increase on the e-commerce platform, and rural e-commerce has developed rapidly. According to relevant data, Xinjiang’s online retail sales reached 23.137 billion yuan in the first eight months of 2019, with a year-on-year increase of 23.2%, of which rural online retail sales were 9.88 billion yuan. Some agricultural and sideline products are able to enter into outside markets with the help of e-commerce mode. Taobao broadcasted Xinjiang specialty agricultural products in the Xinjiang Special Event of 2019 Harvest Charity Live Broadcasting Ceremony held by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group together with the Xinjiang E-commerce Poverty Alleviation Alliance. 3,000 pieces of Tory County beef jerky were sold out in 30 seconds, while 25,000 boxes of Nilek honeycomb were sold out in one hour, and 2,000 bags of dried apricots produced in Batao County were sold out in one hour. 

There is a vast rural e-commerce market. Muslim Uyghur farmers in Xinjiang also expect to buy high-quality products through the e-commerce platforms. It enables rural e-commerce to continuously get developed with the gradual expansion of regions that covers the service of courier delivery to the countryside. For example, a Uighur villager, Muhaibati Memaiti, in the Kashgar region of Xinjiang, learned to take an e-commerce express to sell potatoes. In 2018, his potato boasts harvest while he timely caught up with the online marketing of the local e-commerce service center. During the marketing event, his potatoes worth skyrocketed, rising from 4 yuan per kilogram to 12 yuan. He said, “I’ve been a farmer for many years but I have never seen potatoes so valuable.” Moreover, the cantaloupe farmers in Nanhu village, Yizhou District, Hami City seized the opportunity of Internet e-commerce sales. In July 2018, the cantaloupe production base in Nanhu village yields a huge harvest. More than 14,000 acres of fine cantaloupe have gradually matured, and local farmers have been picking up for shipment. At the Xinjiang specialty agricultural product network promotion meeting, Xizhou Honey No.25 cantaloupe triggered a buying spree. The sales volume exceeded 25,000 in first 5 minutes while the daily sales volume reached 120,000 pieces. With the help of the Internet, the little cantaloupe has become a popular Xinjiang taste in summer. 

After attending this agricultural seminar, I deeply appreciate the huge benefits brought to local farmers by China’s Internet plus agriculture development mode. This mode has helped Xinjiang Uyghur Muslim farmers continuously increase their income. After their income has increased, they have also improved their living conditions, and gradually embarked on the road to prosperity. After returning to Pakistan, I suggest that my country learn more from China about how to help farmers get rich from agriculture, which will also promote the prosperity of farmers in our country. 

Kareboz Kurmanbekov 

Professor at Kyrgyz National Agricultural University