Found in Xinjiang 丨 Semi Yusufu: Courier of a cotton mining machine

　 Tianshan network reporter Zheng Zhuo

　　Semi Yusufu, 26, has two jobs. During the cotton harvesting season, he was a cotton picker pilot in Yuli County; other times, he was a local courier. The income from two occupations allowed him to buy a house in the city and live a rich life.

　　"You see, this is the cotton picker I drive, it can pick 3 rows of cotton at a time, so we also call it a 'three-headed machine'. This machine can harvest more than 100 acres of cotton land in a day, saving time and effort. On October 12, Semi stood on a red cotton picker and excitedly introduced his "baby". With this cotton picker, Semi's monthly income is 14,000 yuan.

Semi Yusufu (left) teaches Murgiri Usman the techniques of driving a cotton picker. Tianshan network reporter Zhou Peng photographed

　　Semir used to be a tractor driver, driving tractors to plow, spray and transport cotton to cotton farmers. In 2018, hearing that the salary of the cotton picker driver could reach more than 10,000 yuan, Semi was moved, and asked around where to learn the driving technology of the cotton picker.

　　In 2019, under the introduction of a friend, Semi became an apprentice to a cotton picker. During the apprenticeship, the salary is 7,000 yuan per month. Semi has been interested in machinery since childhood, and has been particularly attentive when learning the cleaning, maintenance, repair and driving techniques of cotton pickers. Because he had driven a variety of models of tractors before, Semi learned quickly, others had to learn for two years, and he only took one year to master all the technology.

　　In 2020, Semi became a cotton picker pilot and applied to work for an agricultural machinery cooperative. The company not only assigned him a co-pilot and two apprentices, but also paid him a monthly salary of 14,000 yuan. After the cotton harvesting season, he used the money he earned and years of savings to buy a house and a van in the county town, and bought more than 10 lambs for his family.

　　Skillful technology and rich experience in cotton fields have given Semi a lot of confidence. This year, he and the owner of the cotton picker agreed that according to the number of acres, the salary was calculated, and the harvest of one acre of land could get a commission of 20 yuan. "According to last year's picking rate, the entire cotton picking season can earn 60,000 yuan." Semi said happily.

　　Harvesting cotton is a very seasonal job, only one and a half months to two months a year, what about the rest of the time? Semi said that he usually works as a courier in the county town, signs a labor contract with a courier company, works more and gets more, and has an income of about 5,000 yuan a month. "When the cotton was harvested, the courier company agreed to let me take a leave of absence to come back to the cotton machine to earn money."

　　Seeing that Semi made money, his cousin Murgeri Usman also began to learn cotton picker driving techniques.

　　Like Semii, Mu Rei also has a job, he is a bread master in Qarquga Township, Yuli County, there is a naan shop, can play more than 100 naan a day, a month can earn five or six thousand yuan. Mu Redili told reporters that now he followed his cousin to learn technology, and when he worked, he and another apprentice were responsible for refueling the cotton picker, adding water, cleaning up the debris of the cotton picking silo, etc., and the monthly salary was 10,000 yuan.

　　"The development of agricultural technology has given me the opportunity to contact and learn about cotton pickers. It not only improved my quality of life, but also changed my thinking and concepts, as long as I understand technology and are willing to work, I can live a happy and satisfying life. Semi said that the snow-white cotton field in front of him was the field of hope for him and his fellow villagers.