Farming and Animal Husbandary

Nagqu introduces a spirit of "blazing new trails" to promote the area's economy and calls for local residents to seize the opportunity of China's "Go West" project, the construction of Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Tibet's stable social and political conditions for better economic take-off. Nagqu develops appropriate items to steadily lift the living standards of local residents and seek fundamental change to its economic structure.

Thanks to the economic growth on the pastureland, Nagqu has posted a record bank saving of upwards of 800 million yuan. The increase of bank savings in the livestock-intensive prefecture was 19.77 percent.How to increase the cash income of local herds people have been the focus of work of local authorities and those of the autonomous region as well. Local surplus labourers are organized to work elsewhere in the region and even out of it to earn extra money to increase the cash income of the local population, mostly herds people.

There were only a handful of houses in Nagqu 50 years ago, when most of its residents were living in tents. At that time, there were no more than 200 households here.It couldn't have been smaller. In the 1960s and 1970s, all the buildings in Nagqu were roofed with thin tinplate due to a lack of construction materials.In north Tibet's pasture areas, the scene of streams of motor vehicles riding on highways that radiate into all directions has replaced that of caravans of yaks loaded with grain to trade for salt. On the boundless pastures, herding sheep on motorbikes has come into vogue among Tibetan lads.

Nagqu has now invested heavily in the next 15 years, inclduing the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005) period, for an all-around economic and social take-off. Nagqu will input some 23.57 billion yuan in fixed assets to expand agriculture, animal husbandry, energy, urban construction and transportation projects. Nagqu' s farming, animal husbandry, forestry and water conservancy sectors alone will draw an investment of 5.5 billion yuan, among which 2.3 billion will be invested during the 10th Five-Year Plan. The energy and transportation fields will lure an input of 11.56 billion yuan in the next 15 years, among which 2.82 billion will be invested during the 10th Five-Year Plan. Meanwhile, more than 1.015 billion yuan will come to telecommunications, tourism and environmental protection sectors during the 10th Five-Year Plan. Nagqu also promises to invest 720 million yuan in social undertakings in the next 15 years to realize an aim of "invigorating Nagqu through science and technology."

Nagqu will try to achieve an annual growth rate of 13 per cent during the 10th Five-Year Plan period for fast economic and social take-off, and to make local residents richer and happier. During the 9th Five-Year Plan (1996-2000), Nagqu has witnessed an investment of 1.43 billion yuan in infrastructure and major projects construction.
Nagqu introduces shareholding system to its pastureland, as a way to better promote the local animal husbandry industry and usher in intensified management of the grassland. Herdsmen in Nagqu can form share-holding co-operative company based on pastureland, live stock and man power out of their own will.

TNagqu widens channels in developing animal husbandry industry in recent years, in a bid to consolidate the role of animal husbandry industry in local economies and increase the income of herdsmen. Nagqu has established three special economic belts in its eastern, central and western parts to promote the development of cashmere by utilizing local animal husbandry resources.

To further develop the animal husbandry in the prefecture, the herds people in Nagqu have introduced from elsewhere some new breeds of cattle, sheep and goats to better the local breeds. So far, white-down sheep has been offered to herds people on the pastureland to get the most of the market value of the breed. In order to increase income, the herdsmen of Nagqu have cashed for the wool shearing expenses.