Vibrant pepper fields paint early autumn red in Shandong's Chengwu

[Video provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In early autumn, the pepper plantation in Chengwu county, Heze, Shandong, is bursting with vitality. Across vast fields, green leaves are heavy with red and green peppers. Dozens of workers move skillfully through the rows, picking ripe peppers amid laughter and chatter, painting a lively harvest scene.

In recent years, Chengwu county has leveraged its resources to promote an "enterprise + farmer + base" contract farming model, strengthening the foundation of the pepper industry. Through guaranteed purchase agreements, companies provide seedlings and technical guidance and buy back the harvest at protective prices, forming a closed loop from planting to sales that ensures income for farmers.

Today, local pepper cultivation spans 100,000 mu (6,667 hectares). What was once a small pepper has grown into a big industry, increasing incomes for residents and creating a vibrant movement of rural vitalization across the fertile land. (Edited by Xie Zhenzhen)