Chili peppers spice up rural economy in county of NW China's Qinghai

Qingshui township in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province, is blessed with natural conditions for growing chili peppers.

The township has actively developed the chili pepper industry according to local conditions, increasing the output of chili peppers and farmers' incomes.

A farmer sun-dries chili peppers in Qingshui township, Xunhua Sala autonomous county, Haidong city, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (People's Daily Online Overseas Edition/Wang Mei)

"This year, chili peppers grow well, and prices are holding steady. We've already sold quite a lot right from our doorstep," said Wang Changbao, a local farmer in Xiatan village, Qingshui township. The farmer added that every household in the village grows chili peppers, which have become a cash cow for locals.

Leveraging the development advantages of chili peppers, Xunhua county has established planting demonstration bases, including one in Xiatan village, and greenhouse projects, while expanding the planting scale and variety of the crop, fostering a chili pepper industrial chain that covers planting, processing and sales, said Han Yonghui, head of the bureau of agriculture, rural affairs, and science and technology of the county.

Wang Wenjia, head of the organization department of the Communist Party of China Xunhua County Committee, said the county has adopted various business models to attract leading companies and encourage the independent operation of planting cooperatives.

Companies offer minimum price guarantees before the planting season, with flexible arrangements to match market prices if they rise, which has increased farmers' enthusiasm for planting chili peppers.

"I no longer worry about sales. Broader sales channels have enhanced my confidence in planting chili peppers," said a farmer from Zhuantang village in Qingshui township.

At present, 7,000 households cultivate chili peppers on nearly 30,000 mu (about 2,000 hectares) of land in Xunhua county. The output value of the chili pepper industrial chain has exceeded 80 million yuan ($11.24 million).

The county has also leveraged livestream e-commerce and short videos to sell its chili peppers. "This year's online sale volume of chili peppers has approached 2,000 kilograms," Han said.

In addition, Xunhua county has integrated its chili peppers with the development of rural tourism by launching chili pepper tours. Visitors can experience the entire process from planting to processing, while chili products have become popular souvenirs at local sporting events and festivals.