In the remote Maigaiti county of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region’s Kashgar prefecture, an unusual aquaculture venture is gaining traction: the farming of Australian freshwater crayfish in an area dominated by desert landscape. Situated on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, where sand covers nearly 90 percent of the land, local producers have been successfully raising premium crayfish despite challenging environmental conditions.
As the National Day holiday began, a facility in Maigaiti was harvesting between 250 to 300 kilograms of these crustaceans daily. The operation relies on advanced recirculating aquaculture systems, greenhouses, and water management techniques that enable farming in saline-alkaline conditions typical of Xinjiang’s arid terrain. These innovations have opened opportunities to cultivate species previously considered unsuitable for the region, including shrimp and various fish.
Wu, one of the early adopters of this method, stocked his ponds with 400,000 crayfish juveniles this year and expects to produce close to eight tonnes of crayfish. Most of his harvest is sold locally within Kashgar prefecture, while some shipments are sent to cities such as Zhengzhou and Shanghai. He attributes the higher market value of his produce to the relatively clean environment of Xinjiang, which has minimal industrial pollution, appealing to health-conscious consumers willing to pay a premium.
Despite these successes, the operation faces hurdles including significant temperature fluctuations between day and night, the slightly alkaline nature of the water, and high logistical costs. For instance, transporting feed to the remote farm incurs an additional expense of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan per tonne.
Xinjiang, historically recognized for cotton production, has increasingly attracted attention for its efforts to convert otherwise unproductive saline-alkaline lands into viable aquaculture zones. The region now cultivates a variety of species such as red swamp crayfish, Chinese mitten crabs, trout, and silver cod. According to local government figures released last month, aquaculture areas in Kashgar prefecture cover about 1,733 hectares, yielding approximately 13,600 tonnes of aquatic products valued at 208 million yuan.
Against the backdrop of limited arable land and water resources in China amid rising global geopolitical uncertainties, Beijing has promoted the development of abandoned and marginal lands as a strategy to enhance domestic food security. The expansion of aquaculture in Xinjiang forms part of this broader effort to diversify and secure sustainable food production sources within the country.