STORY: Farmers in China's Xinjiang see bumper harvest of Hami melons
DATELINE: Sept. 3, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:52
LOCATION: URUMQI, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Naomaohu Town
2. various of Hami melons
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): YU MINGLIANG, Farmer
4. various of Hami melons

STORYLINE:

More than 40,000 mu (about 2,667 hectares) of Hami melons has recently entered harvest season in Naomaohu Town of Yiwu County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The town is one of the largest production bases of late-ripening Hami melons in China.

Hami melon planting was introduced to the area in 2001. With the adoption of standardized planting techniques in recent years, its output and quality have both seen a great improvement.

This year, the output of Hami melons in Naomaohu Town is expected to reach 100,000 tons.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): YU MINGLIANG, Farmer
"This year, I've planted more than 100 mu (about 6.67 hectares) of late-ripening Hami melons. So far, they have been sold out. My income is expected to reach over 400,000 yuan (about 55,000 U.S. dollars) this year."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.
(XHTV)