Cili Industry Generates Revenue, Boosting Local Employment

Xinhua/APP

Guiyang: With Cili production having evolved into a pillar industry locally, the cooperative boasts an annual output of more than 450 metric tons, helping over 300 local residents secure employment each year.

Guizhou has officially designated the Cili industry as one of its 12 major rural industries with local characteristics and advantages.

At the end of 2022, the annual output of Cili in Guizhou had reached 15 billion yuan (2.09 billion U.S. dollars), with the over 210,000 rural residents involved in the industry enjoying an increase in income, revealed data.

With the harvest season in full swing in Longli County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, verdant hills are being embellished by yellowish, spiny Cili fruits, or Rosa ‘roxburghii’ in Latin.

Meaning ‘thorn pear’ in Chinese, Cili is rich in vitamin C and has various nutritional benefits. It is one of the iconic specialties of this mountainous region.

Yan Qihua, a 60-year-old villager in Longli, has grown Cili for over two decades and has witnessed how this prickly fruit has reshaped his hometown.

Cili is hardly a common fruit and is difficult to preserve so my wholesale business was once caught in a dilemma, and I had to find a way out, said Yan.

Eyeing industrial upgrades, he found the solution in deep processing. We began to process fresh fruits into candied products, which have a longer shelf life and added value, Qihua added.

With the help of agricultural technology, he has dedicated the past two decades to exploring more approaches for candied Cili manufacturing.

As more local residents hopped on the bandwagon, Yan established an agricultural cooperative to pool wisdom and share growth opportunities.