Fushun Chili

Fushun Chili

　　Fushun chili is a specialty of Baicheng City in Jilin Province. Renowned far and wide, this chili was even exempted from export inspection to countries such as Tanzania and Sri Lanka by Premier Zhou’s personal directive as early as the 1970s. Premium chili varieties such as Guidinghong, Tiansheng, Fuqiang, and Tianyu No. 3 are favored by both domestic and international merchants for their high vitamin content and rich red pigments. -

　　Features

　　　　Fushun Town is located in the central part of Taonan City, Jilin Province, with only 14,000 hectares of arable land and a population of over 36,000. Despite being just one town, within less than a decade, the red chilies grown and sold here have gained national fame, with processed products exported to the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, and trading relationships established with 27 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions across China. In 2006, the town earned a single-item income of 122 million yuan from chili, accounting for over 50% of the per capita total income. The chili industry has become a vital pillar for local farmers and residents to achieve prosperity. Chili cultivation in Fushun Town has a history of over a hundred years, and the local variety, Fushun Red, enjoys fame both at home and abroad.

　　Development

　　　　Fushun chili has gradually built an excellent brand reputation among its peers. To maintain the momentum of strong production and sales, efforts in two areas are essential: first,

　　to stabilize the planting base area; and second, to develop and strengthen the broker network and expand marketing channels. Since then, the town’s key leaders have led major traders to visit markets every year, expanding sales channels through distributing brochures, online image information dissemination, and other means. After several years of effort, the number of chili traders in Fushun has grown from just a few individuals to over a hundred, with more than 500 vehicles dedicated to purchasing, transporting, and collecting chilies. The expansion of the trading team has attracted domestic and international chili processing and trading enterprises, not only solving the problem of selling chilies but also ensuring price stability—now dried chilies are consistently priced at over 5 yuan per jin. The town’s chili planting area remains stable at over 3,500 hectares, with the single-item output value exceeding 100 million yuan, planting income reaching 70 million yuan, market trade volume of 40,000 tons, and total trade value surpassing 300 million yuan. Processed chili amounts to 5,000 tons, adding 5 million yuan in value through processing, while vehicle transport generates 15 million yuan in income. Local farmers and residents earn 10 million yuan in labor income, with an average annual income of over 5,000 yuan per worker. Seedling sales generate 10 million yuan annually, and in 2006, the per capita net income of farmers in the town exceeded 4,000 yuan.

　　To create a sustainable production project and a steadily growing economic highlight for all residents, Fushun Town has invested over 30 million yuan to build and improve a 1,500-meter-long, 120,000-square-meter “drive-through” chili market within the town. Nearly 80 agricultural trading companies and storage/purchasing enterprises have set up operations here. Each year, over 1,000 merchants come to the Fushun chili market for trade, and more than 2,000 local farmers work here year-round. The market has also driven chili cultivation and production among 35,000 farming households across more than 30 surrounding towns, increasing their average household income by over 3,000 yuan.