Heze city's pepper growing boosts rural vitalization

In the Dingtao district of Heze city – in East China's Shandong province – the village of Shizhai has experienced a boom in pepper farming.

The village is now covered in hundreds of mu (15 mu equals 1 hectare meters) of densely clustered millet pepper plants, creating a stunning green carpet.

With the thriving pepper market, farmers are reaping the benefits, with an estimated average earning of 4,500 yuan ($617.41) per mu.

Six households in the village have joined forces to establish a  cooperative, resulting in a total planting area of over 400 mu.

To further expand their planting scale, the village has adopted innovative methods such as intercropping sets of plantings. These techniques, coupled with improved planting technology, have doubled the incomes of villagers.

Leading the way in the village, chili peppers have become the primary industry. The village has embraced the "cooperatives + base + farmers" model and has encouraged large-scale planting.

It has also established strong connections with buyers, pickle factories, and vegetable wholesale markets to expand sales channels and ensure price advantages.

The labor-intensive nature of pepper farming provides employment opportunities for older and left-behind individuals in Shizhai village, Shandong province. [Photo by Liang Shaoting for chinadaily.com.cn]

Many idle laborers have become the main workforce for pepper management, earning a decent income while taking care of their families. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)