A single leek field is selling for more than ten thousand RMB (1,280 EUR), not including the plantation costs; cleaning the field costs another 6000-7000 RMB (770-900 EUR). These market prices haven't been seen for the last 30 years in the history of leek plantations in the Midong region of Urumuqi, Xinjiang province.
At the present time, Midong is experiencing a bumper harvest. The farmers are beaming with happiness now that they can finally make some money. According to reports, Midong started growing leeks in the 1980's, and now it has become a famous production place for leeks, providing a large part of the of leeks sold on the market in Urumuqi.
Thanks to their quality, leeks from Shandong have become very popular on the market in Xinjiang for the few past years, especially amongst catering chefs. Because they are tidy, they can be easily cut into slices and not much goes to waste. Facing this type of competition, the city Wusu and the county Hutubi and other regions close to the Urumuqi market gradually stopped growing leeks and turned to other cash crops. However, the Midong region kept on growing leeks. Now 20% of the leeks eaten by Xinjiang people is from the local supply, and 80% is produced in other places in China. The majority of comes from Shandong province, in addition there are are also occasional batches of leeks from the provinces of Henan and Fujian.