A harvesting machine picks cotton in a field in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in October 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

An activity promoting Xinjiang agricultural produce was held in Dongcheng district of Beijing on Saturday.

Jointly hosted by the Shihezi branch of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and China Women's Press Association, the event aims to promote in the capital city and beyond watermelons, wine, beef, lamb, milk and other agricultural goods and other derivative products from the farms operated by the 8th Division of the XPCC that cover an area of about 3,181 square kilometers in Shihezi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Thanks to the large diurnal temperature variations, long sunshine duration, special sandy soil and sufficient irrigation water from the nearby Tianshan Mountain Range that are unique to Shihezi, local farms boast ideal natural conditions for agriculture and husbandry.

The wide application of agricultural science and technology, modern agricultural machinery and advanced agricultural management systems has further boosted the modernization of agriculture and the development of relevant downstream industries.

The 8th Division of XPCC, the main producer and manager of these agricultural goods, pays special attention to production quality control and the successful implementation of branding and marketing strategies. It has not only registered geographical indications and trade marks for its products but also actively cooperated with e-commerce, livestreaming, logistics and catering industries nationwide to promote their products and brands.

Moreover, it attaches great importance to integrating efforts to promote modern agriculture industry in Shihezi to boost local tourism, attract investment and cultivate local cultural intellectual properties in a bid to create jobs and improve the livelihoods of local residents of various ethnic groups.

In the promotional activity in Beijing, Xie Wei, general-manager of the Shihezi city investment group, introduced the integrated development model of different sectors of the region led by the modernization of agriculture and welcomed investment and talents to the city, which is located at the critical position at the Belt and Road Initiative and has unique advantages and tremendous potential for the development of many industries.

Li Ping, the organization department head of the 8th Division of XPCC, shared with the hundreds of business people, experts and reporters attending the event, the efforts the division has been making to promote the modernization and management of the agricultural industry in Shihezi, vowing that the division will try its best to take advantage of its unique strengths to make a bigger contribution to protecting the country's food security and promoting local development.

After two managers in charge of flat peach and watermelon projects respectively introduced the planting history of the two fruits in Shihezi since the mid-last century and the characteristics of their products — juicy, sweet and nutritious — dozens of business people in the catering, hotel, e-commerce and logistics industries from across the country signed cooperation agreements with their respective partners from Shihezi, which are expected to give local agricultural produces a powerful boost nationwide.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the XPCC that has been playing an important role in promoting local socioeconomic development and maintaining peace and stability of Xinjiang, a vast land mass in Northwest China covering more than 1.67 million square km, nearly twice as large as Texas.