Busy harvest and picking of chili peppers

On August 9th, when we walked into the chili pepper planting base in Qingshui Village, Jiuchang Street, Xiuwen County, we saw bright red chili peppers hanging all over the branches, growing vigorously and happily. Under the blue sky and white clouds, villagers who came to work in groups of three or five are shuttling through the “chili sea” in various corners of the base, either carrying baskets or carrying small buckets, busy picking mature chili peppers, creating a scene of a busy harvest.

This place is close to home, with a daily working fee of 120 yuan and lunch included. Driven by the cooperative, I also grow six or seven acres of chili peppers every year. Working outside my home brings a sense of stability, “said Li Shaolun, a villager in Qingshui Village.

It is understood that the base was contracted by Xiaotianlong Cooperative in Qingshui Village through collective land transfer. This year, more than 200 acres of Han Hong Line 3 pepper were planted, which is characterized by thin skin, thick meat, and a slightly spicy taste. Due to abundant rainfall this year, the yield per mu can reach 4000 to 5000 kilograms, with an estimated output value of around 1.8 million yuan. In the early stage of picking, the cooperative and village committee communicate and understand in a timely manner, providing employment opportunities for impoverished households in this village and neighboring villages. At present, there are more than 30 workers picking every day, with a daily harvesting volume of 10 tons, mainly sold to Sichuan Chongqing region and Changsha, Hunan and other places.

“Qingshui Village has planted about 1100 mu of pepper this year. The street has vigorously cultivated cooperatives and other new agricultural operators. It has carried out a full range of services from picking, planting, management, and harvesting. This year, two sessions of professional training on pepper planting were held. Now is the season of Dafengshou (Salad of assorted fresh vegetables) of pepper, and it is also a good time for cooperatives and farmers to increase their income. After the harvest of pepper, lotus white, green vegetables, and cabbage will continue to be planted.” Du Peihang, director of Jiuchang Street Agricultural Comprehensive Service Center, said.

In recent years, Jiuchang Street has actively explored the mechanism of party building leading industrial development, fully leveraging the role of grassroots party organizations as battle fortresses, coordinating land transfer, mobilizing farmers to plant, and helping to contact technical guidance. Next, Jiuchang Street will continue to guide the masses to further expand the planting scale, improve the level of industrial standardization and standardized development, strengthen and expand the chili pepper industry, and effectively walk out a “hot” industrial development path.