Shandong's county reaps benefits from pepper growing

These days, in Juye county in East China's Shandong province, chili pepper growers are big business – and they're currently enjoying a successful harvest season.

A farmhand picks chili peppers in Juye county. [Photo by Xiao Shouxiang for chinadaily.com.cn]

The county benefits from particularly fertile soil and a favorable climate for pepper cultivation. In recent years, it's focused on developing and expanding the chili pepper industry, creating a comprehensive industrial supply chain covering seedlings, planting, storage, logistics and distribution.

This approach is said to have really boosted the industry, with the area given over to chili pepper cultivation expanding to 280,000 mu (18,666 hectares), generating over 3 billion yuan ($413.51 million) in annual output.

As such, the sector has become a vital part of the county's rural vitalization efforts.

Juye has further improved the industry by optimizing the drying and packaging processes. With a more efficient drying method, farmers save time and reduce labor costs.

This has paved the way for exports of vacuum-packed peppers to Japan and South Korea, expanding markets and profitability.

A production line gets into gear in Juye county. [Photo by Xiao Shouxiang for chinadaily.com.cn]

Moreover, chili peppers have found applications in cosmetics, pickling, chili sauce processing and dehydrated vegetables.

Juye county's emphasis on large-scale production, excellent quality and strong branding has turned local specialties into prosperous businesses.

The agricultural and sideline product processing industry of Juye county generated a main business income of 9.1 billion yuan last year, providing employment to 21,000 people. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)