The government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has decided to increase the acreage planted to color cotton to 33,000 hectares in two years.
The move is designed to turn Xinjiang into the largest colored cotton production center in the world.
Xinjiang has unique advantages in producing colored cotton, compared to other cotton growing regions in other countries.
Firstly, Xinjiang has a good ecological environment and fertile farmland, which is vital to producing colored cotton.
Secondly, with China's forthcoming entry into WTO, Xinjiang has to adjust the structure of its cotton-growing industry and upgrade cotton products to meet market demand. Growing colored cotton on a large scale is considered the most important part in the adjustment effort.
Thirdly, Xianjing has laid a solid foundation for research and development of colored cotton.
The acreage planted to color cotton reached 4,600 hectares this year in Xinjiang. Colored cotton from Xinjiang sells well both on domestic and foreign markets.
(Xinhua 12/13/2000)
