Pepper crop galvanizes rural development in Xifeng county

Locals plant peppers in Yongjing town. [Photo/WeChat account of Xifeng county]

In recent years, Yongjing town – located in Xifeng county in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province – has enjoyed considerable success in planting and cultivating peppers, much to its good fortune.

In Shanghongma village, the high altitude and special soil there are said to be particularly suitable for the growth of the crop. What's more, the development of the pepper industry has changed the traditional agricultural model of low quality and inefficiency and increased the earnings of locals.

To ensure the high quality and yield of the peppers, the agricultural service center at Yongjing town – together with local vegetable market dealers – has provided planting technology training for farmers and given technical support during the entire process of pepper planting and growth. It is expected that the yield from the peppers can reach 1,500 kilograms per mu (0.07 hectares).

Shanghongma village has also actively connected with the local vegetable market and introduced dealers. The harvested peppers are uniformly purchased by the dealers at market prices and the income generated per mu can reach an estimated 7,000 yuan ($975.10).

A big pepper grower said that she plants over 10 mu of peppers, bringing in annual gross income of 80,000 yuan.

Currently, the village has more than 100 mu of pepper plants under cultivation - up from just over 20 mu three years ago.

Moving forwards, plans are for Yongjing town to continue to promote the development of the pepper industry, to boost rural development and increase farmers' incomes.