Shandong's county reaps bumper chili pepper harvest

It's September and harvest time has come to an area of 100,000 mu (666.67 hectares) of chili peppers in Chengwu county in Heze city, located in East China's Shandong province.

With the arrival of a bumper harvest, chili pepper food processing enterprises have ramped up their operations. Inside their workshops these days, machinery roars and staff works hard and fast on tasks such as transportation, washing, sorting and packaging – keeping the entire production line abuzz with activity.

Chengwu county's chili pepper sector has achieved integrated development along the entire industrial supply chain after years of effort.

This includes variety selections, seedling supplies, plantation development, product production, deep processing, technical services and product sales. As a result, the industry has become more standardized, larger and more on-brand.

In 2023, the chili pepper cultivation area in Chengwu county topped 100,000 mu and generated annual production value of over 200 million yuan ($27.41 million). What's more, the chili pepper industry has proven to be a significant contributor to the county's poverty alleviation efforts and rural vitalization. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)

[Video provided for chinadaily.com.cn]