Xifeng's pepper industry helps address local poverty

Crops were recently harvested at the pepper base in Wenquan town, Xifeng county, in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

According to local officials, as of now, Wenquan town has planted more than 200 hectares of peppers, covering 11 villages and benefiting more than 1,000 farmers.

The pepper harvest this year is expected to be around 3,000 tons, with an output value of nearly 6 million yuan ($0.86 million), which amounts to an increase of 7,000 yuan in the average income of pepper-planting households.

In recent years, Wenquan has promoted adjustments to the agricultural industry structure and the transformation of production methods. The town has also expanded characteristic industries, such as the pepper industry, to promote employment and increase incomes for local villagers.

Officials said that the base also hired local villagers to pick and package chili peppers.

"Before we started planting chili peppers, we couldn't find jobs located nearby. It was not easy to find a job outside at our age," said a local farmer, who was drying a batch of chilies. "But now my family can earn rent by transferring land to the base, and I can also earn 2,000 or 3,000 yuan per month for working at the base."