(file photo)

Chinese peasant Xu Binghua was invited by the chairman of the silk industry in Uzbekistan to pass on his knowledge of mulberry cultivation.

Xu, a 56 years old peasant and agronomist in Haining, Zhejiang, has been planting mulberries since 1990, and is published in many academic journals, such as Bulletin of Sericulture. In 2007, he founded the first farmers’ specialized cooperative for the export of Chinese silkworms and built China’s first silkworm export base in 2009.

This was Xu’s first trip abroad to share his knowledge on mulberry cultivation. Uzbekistan started growing mulberry trees in 2013 to rebuild the silk industry. Close to 17 million high-quality mulberries were imported from Xu’s cooperative. In April, the central Asian country ordered four million more, and when the chairmen of silk industry visited China in May, Xu was invited to give the lectures in Uzbekistan.

Xu said he traveled to Uzbekistan last month and introduced the basics to 132 plant workers, choosing suitable land, grafting a mulberry tree, disease and pest prevention and control, and fertilization. During his trip, he visited mulberry farms in Toshkent and Buxoro.

Located in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is a country along the Belt and Road. Information released by the Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office of the Embassy of China in Uzbekistan shows that Uzbekistan is the third largest silk producer in the world after China and India. The country has 36 silk textile companies, producing 2,000 tons of silk, 200 tons of spun silk, one million linear meters of silk cloth, and 1,000 square meters of carpet. To improve capacity, four more textile companies were added in 2015. 

Chinese peasant Xu Binghua was invited by the chairman of the silk industry in Uzbekistan to pass on his knowledge of mulberry cultivation.

Xu, a 56 years old peasant and agronomist in Haining, Zhejiang, has been planting mulberries since 1990, and is published in many academic journals, such as Bulletin of Sericulture. In 2007, he founded the first farmers’ specialized cooperative for the export of Chinese silkworms and built China’s first silkworm export base in 2009.

This was Xu’s first trip abroad to share his knowledge on mulberry cultivation. Uzbekistan started growing mulberry trees in 2013 to rebuild the silk industry. Close to 17 million high-quality mulberries were imported from Xu’s cooperative. In April, the central Asian country ordered four million more, and when the chairmen of silk industry visited China in May, Xu was invited to give the lectures in Uzbekistan.

Xu said he traveled to Uzbekistan last month and introduced the basics to 132 plant workers, choosing suitable land, grafting a mulberry tree, disease and pest prevention and control, and fertilization. During his trip, he visited mulberry farms in Toshkent and Buxoro.

Located in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is a country along the Belt and Road. Information released by the Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office of the Embassy of China in Uzbekistan shows that Uzbekistan is the third largest silk producer in the world after China and India. The country has 36 silk textile companies, producing 2,000 tons of silk, 200 tons of spun silk, one million linear meters of silk cloth, and 1,000 square meters of carpet. To improve capacity, four more textile companies were added in 2015.