On the table were a large platter of stir-fried chicken, big-plate mutton, and mixed lamb offal. Wang Mingjun and the others mostly irrigated with motorized wells here, so there were hardly any fish. Otherwise, Big Old Chen would have served a plate of fish to liven things up, no matter what.
The staple was latiaozi-for most people, such a lavish spread would usually be served with rice. But around Ma County in Northern Xinjiang, if you wanted a filling, substantial meal, flour-based food was still what counted.
Most people might not have had room for noodles after such a rich meal, but that was no problem for the big eaters at this table.
As Wang Mingjun mixed some offal and chicken sauce into his noodles, he said to Li Long:
"Thirty-seven households in our company planted cotton this year, about seven hundred mu altogether. Across our whole regiment, there are nearly five thousand mu of cotton."
Going by the current figures, that was somewhat more than Ma County had, but the total still wasn't much.
A small total meant enormous potential.
"But they said at the regimental meeting that next year's cotton acreage might increase by a third," Zheng Xiangyang added. "Stone City Cotton Textile Mill has been expanding production capacity. Apparently, demand for its products exceeds supply, so they're asking for more cotton acreage to guarantee output."
Of course, Li Long knew this was the general trend.
"Then what are cotton prices like now?" Li Long asked.
"Depends on the quality. Anywhere from one yuan fifty to two yuan." Wang Mingjun finished chewing and swallowed his noodles. "It's all purchased centrally from above. That's roughly the price range."
Then Li Long asked about the current process for growing cotton and what needed particular attention.
He actually knew most of