BEIJING: More than 3,333 hectares of cotton was damaged in hailstorms that swept through western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Friday and Saturday, said local authorities Sunday.

A total of  50,110 mu of cotton plants and 1,000 mu of fruit trees were damaged in the western Xinjiang’s Awat county, a county known as the “capital of cotton” in China, said county officials.

Large hailstones tore cotton leaves and bolls from the stems of the plants, said local farmers.

Located in the northwest of Taklimakan Desert where several rivers meet, Awat boasts favourable conditions for growing cotton plants and is famous for cotton production, reports state media.