Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will gradually expand arable fields and strive to become an important grain-producing base in China, said Xiong Huiyin, vice chairman of the region's government at a recent conference.

The government has mapped out a long-term plan for grain production focusing on cultivating the valleys of the Ili and Tarim rivers, Xiong said.

In five years, Xinjiang will have 2 million hectares of planting fields with a projected grain output of 11.5 million tons, allowing the region to provide about 3 million tons of grain to other areas in China.

By 2020, the region hopes to have 6 million hectares of arable lands, among which the 2.6 million hectares of planting fields could turn out 16 million tons of grain, Xiong said.

The farmers in Xinjiang planted about 1.4 million hectares of grain this year, up 4.6 percent from last year. The grain output is estimated to hit 8.4 million tons, a yearly rise of 3 percent.

(Shanghai Daily November 25, 2004)