Construction Corps Leads War on Poverty

Focus on agriculture

For the corps, agriculture has always been the crux of development, and this traditional pillar industry will be further enhanced in the years to come.

While adhering to the long-term agricultural strategy of maintaining stable grain output, emphasizing cotton production and boosting fruit planting and animal husbandry, the corps will promote the use of farming machines and water-saving irrigation, and it will work to improve farmers' incomes.

Farm mechanization is now the main characteristic of agricultural development in the corps.

In 2010, the total power of farming machines on the various farms operated by the corps reached 3.7 million kilowatts, with an agricultural mechanization rate of 90 percent, ranked first in China.

The mechanization rate for plowing reached 100 percent; that of harvesting, 99 percent and sowing, 55 percent

According to the corps' five-year plan for 2011-2015, its farm mechanization rate will be further boosted to 92 percent by the end of 2015.

And per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen is expected to see an average yearly increase of nearly 10 percent from 2010 to 2015.

Opening-up

Relying on its resources and geographical advantages, the corps has attracted lots of enterprises, capital, technology and professionals to help foster economic development.

Echoing the openness policy of the Xinjiang regional government, the corps launched its own initiatives through building export process zones and promoting cross-border trade.

It has also implemented a "going global" policy that involves extending labor services and contracting projects for overseas companies and enhancing cooperation in the fields of mineral exploitation and agriculture.

In its managed areas that border foreign countries, the corps has built a number of dry ports to facilitate cross-border trade.

The painstaking efforts of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in creating outposts in the deserts have led to a unique frontier culture and even new landscapes, which have proven to be a new attraction for tourists.

Based on such resources, the corps has developed a tourism industry with cultural tours, agricultural tours, frontier sightseeing tours as well as oasis eco-tours.

In addition to tours to the various corps sites in the autonomous region, tourists from China and abroad are strongly recommended to visit the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Reclamation Museum in Shihezi to gain a better understanding the corps' history.