Farmers plant mulberry seedlings in Keping county, Aksu prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/hz66.com]

A total of 800,000 mulberry seedlings native to Huzhou will be planted in Keping county, Aksu prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as part of a trial.

The move marks the latest attempt from Huzhou to help the Xinjiang county boost employment and raise farmers' incomes.

Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province has since 2010 been paired with Keping under the east-west cooperation program for poverty relief that was launched by the central government.

Mulberry trees have great economic value, according to Xu Hai, a Huzhou official sent to Keping.

Mulberry leaves can be fed to silkworms, roots and barks can be used as medicine. The fruit can also be processed into preserved fruit and juice.

The variety of mulberry trees introduced to Keping is resistant to alkali and cold weather conditions. Its successful planting in Central Asia, which has similar climate and soil conditions as Xinjiang, has paved way for the trial in Xinjiang.

Huzhou also plans to plant mulberry trees next to sheep farms in Keping if the trial is successful. By doing so, mulberry leaves can be fed to silkworms, while the feces of silkworms and sheep can be utilized as fertilizers for the trees.

Since 2013, Huzhou has been helping Keping relieve poverty by raising sheep. The practice, as of 2021, has helped increase the incomes of more than 2,000 impoverished households.