China imports farm materials from B&R countries

This aerial photo shows farmers working in the fields in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 15, 2023. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)

URUMQI, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- To ensure stable production and supply, the ports in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are handling a larger volume of imported farming supplies, as the preparations for spring farming are in full swing.

Two major ports in Xinjiang, the Alataw Pass and the Horgos Port, handled the imports of 66,000 tonnes of chemical fertilizers and 89,000 tonnes of potash fertilizers, respectively, in January. These fertilizers, mainly produced in countries along the Belt and Road, entered the Chinese border via the China-Europe cargo trains before being sold to the inland regions.

Horgos Jie'an international freight, a logistics agency, has imported 60,000 tonnes of potash fertilizers over the past two months, which is close to 70 percent of its total import volume last year.

"The peak period of spring ploughing is coming, and the demand for agricultural materials and machinery in the domestic market has increased greatly, resulting in a significantly higher workload for us," said Zhai Jinbin, head of the company.

To facilitate the entry of farming supplies, the local railway and customs departments have set up green channels for the materials and streamlined the procedure.