Kuqa Aksayiwa Grapes

Kuqa Aksayiwa Grapes

Kuqa Aksayiwa Grapes is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Kuqa Aksayiwa Grapes

　　 　Xinjiang's Kuqa County spans from the east in Kuqa County to Alahage Town in the west, from Hannihatamu Township in the south to Yishihala Town in the north, covering a total of 7 towns, 4 townships, and 1 farm.

　　　　Yahe Town is located 20 kilometers from Kuqa and is one of the many ancient towns in the area. It also has a cluster of grottoes, though they are not as well-known as the Kizil Grottoes or the Kumtura Grottoes.

　　　　The Akebuya Village Grape Association in Yahe Town was established in March 2003. Currently, there are 238 specialized grape-growing households in the town, with a planting area of 2,300 mu. In the past, the grapes grown here were small and round local varieties. After 2001, Yahe Town introduced the Munage grape variety, which is larger and higher-yielding than the local ones. Over the years, grape growers in the Akebuya Village Grape Association have continuously improved the imported Munage grapes. The improved grapes come in red and white varieties, have a pure taste, and can yield 2 to 3 tons per mu.

　　　　Previously selling for 1.2 yuan per kilogram, the grapes now fetch 2.5 yuan this year. Farmers in Yahe Town, Kuqa, have truly felt the benefits brought by the grape trademark. Aini Kurban, a major grape grower, planted 4 mu of grapes last year and earned over 20,000 yuan. During the grape harvest season every July and August, nearby villages often worry about grape sales, but the grapes from Akebuya Village sell out effortlessly—there’s no need to go around looking for buyers. Every year, merchants from Guangzhou, Sichuan, and other places come here to sign purchase contracts.

　　　　To protect the high-quality grapes cultivated by the farmers themselves and help all villagers achieve scientific prosperity, in August 2004, Yahe Town in Kuqa County assisted the Akebuya Village Grape Association in registering the “Kuqa Aksayiwa Grapes” trademark. This was the first time such a registration was made in Kuqa County’s fruit and forestry industry.

　　　　The grape yield in Akebuya Village has now exceeded 1,000 tons, generating an income of 1 million yuan. Compared to before the trademark registration, the average income per mu has increased by 500 to 600 yuan.

　　　　Aini’s family owns an 8-mu vineyard that serves as a “model vineyard” in the village. He has traveled to Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Turpan, and other places to learn new techniques in grape cultivation and management. He is one of the wealthiest households in the village. Pointing to his newly built house, he says, “This is my home, and the vineyard is my other home. I’d get sick if I didn’t work in the vineyard for a few days, especially in October, when I see clusters of grapes—they look like clusters of gold to me.”

　　　　The village vineyards are very quiet. The grapevines are buried underground, but now they are sprouting up again, sending out new shoots along the trellises. However, the new shoots have just emerged with a hint of yellow, bringing a sense of novelty and surprise. Some people pile fermented sheep and cow manure by the roadside to fertilize the grapes after they are unearthed, providing them with nutrients. Several elderly people are repairing the trellises, removing old wires and replacing them with new ones.

　　　　In one vineyard, four Uyghur young men are busy at work. The grapevines unearthed after “unearthing the vines” (a local term for uncovering the vines in spring) are tangled together, lying quietly in the ditches like weak pythons. The young men dig them out of the mud, then work together to toss these “pythons” high up onto the trellises. Unearthing, trellising, and arranging the vines is strenuous manual labor that requires coordination, usually done by young and able-bodied workers. The young men tell me that they work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., managing to trellis 3 mu of land in a day. Spring brings hope and aspiration, igniting the dreams of the people of Akebuya Village for grapes and for a better life.