Farming and Animal Husbandry

2004-03-01 18:00

Farming Tibet currently has 223,000 hectares of cultivated land Important farm produce includes winter highland barley, winter wheat, spring wheat, spring highland barley, peas, broad beans, potatoes, rape and beets In some areas rice, corn, soybeans, mung beans, peanuts, tobacco, cabbage, spinach, turnips, brassica, buckwheat, jizhuagu (glutinous highland millet) and lamb's-quarters are also grown. Highland barley and spring wheat have long been cultivated in Tibet More than 70 species of highland barley are found and there are six species of spring wheat with more than 50 varieties.

Walnuts, tea, apples and sea-buckthorns are leading cash crops. Walnut planted on 4,600 hectares of land produces more than 500 tons annually. Annual output of tea is 130 tons Over 4,000 tons of more than 40 species of apples are produced annually Seabuckthorns are found throughout the region with the exception of the northern plateau, with more than 6,600 hectares along the Yarlungzangbo, Lhasa and Nyangqu rivers alone Major farming areas in Tibet et are found along the Yarlungzangbo x River and its tributaries, and the plains lining the Jinsha, Lancang and Nu rivers These areas are known as the "highland granaries" Under the restraints of the old feudal serf system, the develop ment of the productive forces was extremely slow, production methods were backward, tools rudimentary and farming methods crude Statistics gathered in 1952 report more than 160,000 hectares of cultivated land, but a grain output of only 155,000 tons.

Seeking to overcome this backward state, Tibetan farmers energetically pursued farmland capital construction beginning in the 1960s. Irrigation works were built, soil improved, new-style farming tools popularized and high-quality seed types cultivated. The old system of cultivation was improved with development of scientific farming. As a result, agricultural production climbed rapidly.

By 1994 annual grain output was 640,000 tons, 4 I times that of 19S2 and annual output of oil-bearing products was 27,000 tons. Animal Husbandry Tibet's vast land area is a rich resource for animal husbandry. It is one of China's five great pasturelands; 56 percent of all of its grasslands, 46 million hectares, are used only for animal husbandry. Another 21.6 million hectares, 26 percent of total grassland, are used for farming and animal husbandry, with the remaining 14 8 million hectares, or 18 percent, being used only for farming.

High quality, grass-rich grassland accounts for 9.7 percent of all usable grassland, 5.3 million out of 55 million hectares available. Medium-grade grasslands total 39 million hectares, 70.9 percent of all usable grasslands, with the remaining 10.66 million hectares, 19.4 percent, low-yield desert steppe.

Important domesticated animals include yaks, cattle, piaartiu (offspring of a bull and a female yak), horses, donkeys, sheep and pigs Most of these are raised under extensive conditions and are indigenous, primitive species.

As such they are well adapted to local conditions, genetically prepared for the cold, low air pressure and thin oxygen of the high plateau. These animals provide the material base for the subsistence of the Tibetan people and also a valuable resource for the generation of foreign exchange.

In addition they provide important raw materials for local traditional handicrafts, textiles, processing and other light industry. They hold an important position in the nation's economy Animal husbandry has been practised for several thousand years in Tibet using the primitive extensive grazing method, the herdsmen moving from place to place to find water and grass, a situation that continued until the late 1950s.

Productivity was low Reportedly, there were only 9.74 million head of Livestock in Tibet in 1952. Over the past 30 years the Tibetan governments at various levels have organized herdsmen in a large-scale move to protect the grasslands Livestock breeds have been improved and prevention and treatment of livestock diseases emphasized. Other measures, such as enclosing or irrigating pastureland and rotating grazing, have further benefited animal husbandry In 1994 there were more than 23 million head of livestock in the region, consisting of 4 million yaks, 980,000 cattle, 270,000 pianniu, I.55 million dairy cattle, 140,000 horses, 11.4 million sheep, 5.77 million goats and 180,000 pigs.

Total output of meat was 106,000 tons, milk 177,000 tons and wool 8,800 tons. Township Enterpirses As elsewhere in China, township enterprises and the diversified economy have been developing quite rapidly. In 1994 earnings by township enterprises reached 250 million yuan, while proceeds from the diversified economy reached 380 million yuan.