A town in China’s central Hunan Province, well known for growing chili peppers, has been implementing a new production model in recent years
A town in China’s central Hunan Province, well known for growing chili peppers, has been implementing a new production model in recent years. It’s not only boosted production and improved quality, but has also helped many residents climb out of poverty. CGTN’s Cao Chufeng has more. CAO CHUFENG Mingyue Town, Liling “Hunan cuisine is known for its spiciness, so it won’t be a surprise that people grow chili peppers here. Liling is well known for producing this type of chili. They call it ‘glass pepper,’ because when they are sun-dried they’re transparent like glass. It’s been grown here for over a century.”
Mingyue Town is one of the main producers for glass pepper in Liling, but for a long time, the production system here ran more like family workshops, with different farmers or villages growing and selling their own products. This meant the product quality and revenue couldn’t be guaranteed across town. But things changed, when a Joint Cooperative system was set up in 2019. HE WEIBING Head of Hunan Gaofengqiao Glass Pepper Joint Cooperatives “We signed land transfer contracts with farmers, as well as pepper growing contracts. Joint cooperatives lend farmers free farmland, give them free fertilizer and seeds. We invite experts to give all farmers on-site technical training and guidance, and oversee the whole growing process.” Local government says this model has improved product quality standards and significantly grown output.
ZOU ZHENGDA Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Mingyue Town “After the establishment of this model, each farmer is no longer working by themselves. Because of the implementation of growing regulations, the output for each Mu increased from 400 Kilograms to 600 Kilograms.” The joint cooperatives also collect all the peppers grown by farmers, and establishes unified sales channels, so that growers won’t have to worry about finding customers anymore. And many residents working with joint cooperative system have seen a big increase in income. YIN XUESHENG Glass Pepper Grower “I started to work with the joint cooperatives about two years ago. Before that my income was only about enough to get food to feed my family, and I owned some debt. The first year I worked with the joint cooperatives, my annual income was about 80,000 Yuan, and I paid back all my debt. This year, my income is expected to double to 160,000 Yuan.” The glass pepper industry has helped lifting 702 people out of poverty. The local government says they are continuing to promote Liling glass peppers both online and offline, hoping to boost sales and recognition. Cao Chufeng, CGTN, Mingyue Town, Liling.
Source: This news is originally published by Cgtn