The cotton sowing season has begun in Turkmenistan with a significant innovation: high-yielding varieties from China’s Xinjiang region have appeared in the country’s fields. This was reported by the news agency Orient.

In an article for the publication, Ji Shumin, China’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Turkmenistan, spoke about cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural sector — from the introduction of biotechnologies that increase cotton yields by 30% to the prospects for the digitalisation of agriculture.

Varieties from Xinjiang combine early maturity, high yield and fibre quality. They are suitable for large-scale mechanised harvesting due to the compact shape of the bush, resistance to lodging and low impurity content. Chinese seeds are already being used in Central Asia and are showing real market potential.

China is actively introducing scientific and technological innovations into agriculture – seed production, machinery, biosafety and environmental protection. The next five-year plan envisages the further development of smart and digital agriculture and the creation of recognisable brands.

Cooperation with Turkmenistan, which possesses vast land resources, solar energy, water and a labour force, opens up opportunities for mutually beneficial exchange of technologies and resources, expansion of agricultural exports and development of the agricultural sector in both countries.