Sangong town farmers regain mutton sheep market

Efforts made by farmers in Sangong town to deal with a weak mutton sheep market paid off recently, as many farmers turned in a profit.

The farmers, from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, were faced with a downturn in the mutton sheep market in April due to an influx of mutton from other provinces and abroad being sold at low prices in Xinjiang.

To overcome the dilemma, local farmers bought sheep from inland provinces such as Qinghai province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Even when factoring in transportation costs, sheep from other provinces remained cheaper than Xinjiang's sheep by around 100-150 yuan ($16.16-$24.21).

Several sheep cooperatives were also established in the town to raise livestock collectively. The cooperatives managed to cut costs through unified management.

Farmers tried to increase their economic efficiency by carrying out industrial-scale slaughters of sheep belonging to cooperatives.

Since the implementation of these measures, farmers in the town have managed to gain a greater segment of the local market.

Edited by Jacob Hooson