Taonan Chili Peppers

Taonan Chili Peppers

Taonan Chili Peppers is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Taonan Chili Peppers is a geographical indication product for agricultural produce.

　　In many towns and villages across Taonan, vast green fields are planted with “boldly flavored” chili peppers. The chili pepper industry has become a signature industry for Taonan City, as well as a leading sector that helps “enrich the city, strengthen the townships, and improve people’s livelihoods.” From 1999 to 2002, Taonan chilies were named “Jilin Famous Brand Agricultural Products” by the Jilin Provincial Government for four consecutive years, and also won the “Gold Award at the Beijing International Agricultural Food Expo.” Taonan City has been successively named “China’s Hometown of Chili Peppers” and “China’s No. 1 Chili Pepper City.” From planting and harvesting to sales, including market trading environments, Taonan has established an end-to-end industrial development chain for chili peppers.

　　In recent years, the chili pepper planting area in Taonan City has continued to expand year by year. In the region, over 10 townships (with Fushun Town as the center) maintain a stable planting area of around 150,000 mu per year, while also influencing the cultivation of chili peppers in about 12 surrounding counties, cities (districts), and more than 70 townships, bringing the total planting base area within and outside the region to nearly 300,000 mu. In 2010, the city produced over 50 million jin of dried red chili peppers, generating a production value of nearly 200 million yuan.

　　Since ancient times, Taonan has had a tradition of growing chili peppers. Dried red chili peppers have been produced and processed as commercial goods for nearly a hundred years. As early as 1971, Taonan chilies were showcased as a “local specialty of Taonan” at the Canton Fair and were directly exported without inspection to countries and regions such as Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. With the development of the market economy and in response to the supply and demand situation of agricultural products, as well as the adjustment of the agricultural planting structure, the Taonan Municipal Party Committee, the municipal government, and agricultural departments have placed great importance on the development of the chili pepper industry. By actively participating in market competition, the chili pepper industry in Taonan has achieved unprecedented growth. From 1999 to 2002, Taonan chilies were named “Jilin Famous Brand Agricultural Products” by the Jilin Provincial Government for four consecutive years. In 2000, they won the “Gold Award at the Beijing International Agricultural Food Expo.” From 1999 to 2002, they also received the “Gold Award at the China Changchun Agricultural Food Expo” for four consecutive years. In 2003, the 45,000-mu pollution-free dried red chili pepper production base in Fushun Town, Taonan, was certified and approved by the national pollution-free agricultural product management department. In October of the same year, Taonan was named “China’s Hometown of Chili Peppers” by the China Specialties Township Recommendation Committee. Currently, the chili pepper industry in Taonan has formed a production chain where the market drives the leading enterprises, which in turn support the bases, which connect to the farmers, with contracts and services in place. This has led to an integrated path of agricultural industrialization that combines trade, industry, and agriculture, as well as an end-to-end approach of production, processing, and sales.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The geographic scope includes all the townships within the administrative region of Taonan City. Located in the northwest of Jilin Province and the southern part of Baicheng City, Taonan City spans longitude 121°38′20″–123°20′10″ and latitude 45°2′20″–46°1′20″, with an average elevation of 250–350 meters. It borders Da’an City to the east, borders or is adjacent to Tuquan County, Keyouqianqi, and Ulanhot City of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the west and northwest, neighbors Tongyu County to the south, and is adjacent to Taobei District and Zhenlai County of Baicheng City to the north and northeast. The total production area is 13,333 hectares, with an annual output of 40,000 tons.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The soil in Taonan City is mostly sandy loam, chernozem, light chernozem, and chestnut soil, with a small portion being saline-alkali soil and meadow soil. The soil pH ranges from 7 to 8.2, indicating medium fertility. The terrain is higher in the west and north, and lower in the east and south, with the Tao’er River and Jiaoliu River flowing through the region.

　　(2) Hydrology: Taonan City has eight rivers of varying sizes and two water resource basins, with the main rivers being the Tao’er and Jiaoliu Rivers. The formation and distribution of groundwater are constrained by natural geography, climate hydrology, and geological environment, resulting in three hydrogeological units. The central alluvial fan area is a water-rich zone with good water quality and abundant water volume, while the southern area has good water quality with moderate water volume.

　　(3) Climate: Taonan City is located in a mid-temperate continental monsoon climate zone. It features large diurnal temperature variations, distinct seasons, dry and windy springs with little rain, and long, cold winters with little snow. The average annual temperature is 4.8°C, the average annual sunshine duration is 3,005 hours, the frost-free period lasts 136 days on average (with a maximum of 149 days and a minimum of 118 days).

　　The average annual rainfall is 377.9 mm, with most precipitation concentrated in July and August.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Factors: Since ancient times, Taonan has had a tradition of growing chili peppers, and chili peppers have been produced and processed as commercial goods for nearly a hundred years. In 1971, Taonan chilies were showcased as a “local specialty of Taonan” at the Canton Fair. In December of the same year, they were approved by Premier Zhou for direct export without inspection to countries and regions such as Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The Taonan Municipal Party Committee and municipal government have attached great importance to the chili pepper industry, actively participated in market competition, and driven unprecedented development in the industry. From 1999 to 2002, Taonan chilies were named “Jilin Famous Brand Agricultural Products” by the Jilin Provincial People’s Government for four consecutive years. In 2000, they won the “Gold Award at the Beijing International Agricultural Food Expo.” From 1999 to 2002, they were consecutively awarded the “Gold Award at the China Changchun Agricultural Food Expo.” In 2003, 45,000 mu of pollution-free dried red chili pepper production bases in Fushun Town, Taonan, were recognized by the Jilin Provincial Department of Agriculture. In 2006, 67,500 mu of pollution-free chili pepper production bases in Taonan were also recognized by the Jilin Provincial Department of Agriculture. In October 2003, Taonan was named “China’s Hometown of Chili Peppers” by the “China Specialties Township Recommendation Committee.” In 2007, at the Changsha International Chili Expo, Taonan was honored with the title of “China’s No. 1 Chili Pepper City.”

　　Production Technical Requirements

　　(1) Origin Selection and Special Provisions: Farms should be selected in flat areas where the content of harmful heavy metals in the soil does not exceed national standards, with complete water conservancy facilities, and located away from highways, hospitals, mines, and garbage dumps.

　　(2) Variety Selection and Specific Requirements: High-quality, high-yield, disease-resistant, stress-resistant, and marketable varieties should be chosen. For protected cultivation, varieties such as Jinta and Hongxia No. 9 are used, while for direct seeding, Gui Ding Hong No. 1 is selected.

　　(3) Production Process Management: The production process of Taonan chili peppers complies with the technical regulations for pollution-free chili pepper production. Throughout the process, inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides must come from reliable sources.

　　(4) Product Harvesting and Post-Harvest Processing Regulations: Harvesting should take place after the pesticide safety interval, using clean, hygienic, and uncontaminated tools.

　　(5) Production Record Requirements: Records must be kept for agricultural inputs, including the name of the input, usage time, frequency, quantity, method of use, and harvest date.

　　Typical Quality Characteristics and Product Quality Safety Regulations

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: Taonan chili peppers are long horn-shaped or long cone-shaped, uniformly sized, with thick skins. The average single dried fruit weighs 3.0–3.5 grams, and they appear fresh reddish-brown with a glossy finish.

　　(2) Internal Quality Indicators: Taonan chili peppers are known for their strong spiciness, rich flavor, and high content of pigments and vitamins.

　　Vitamin C content ranks first among vegetables, being 7–15 times that of tomatoes. They also contain carotene, niacin, capsaicin, and capsanthin.

　　(3) Safety Requirements: Taonan chili pepper products must comply with the People’s Republic of China Agricultural Industry Standard “Pollution-Free Vegetable – Solanaceous and Fruit Vegetables” (NY5005), the “People’s Republic of China Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law,” the “State Council’s Special Provisions on Strengthening the Supervision and Management of Food and Other Product Safety,” and other relevant standards and legal regulations.

　　Packaging and Labeling Regulations

　　(1) Packaging: Taonan chili peppers must be packaged according to regulations for sale.

　　(2) Labeling: Users of the label must uniformly display the geographical indication for agricultural products (a combined format of the Taonan Chili Peppers name and public identification logo) on their products or packaging.

　　(3) Other: The processing, grading, storage, and transportation of Taonan chili peppers shall comply with the relevant mandatory technical standards of the state.