Poverty Relief: Collective agriculture helps farmers out of poverty

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With an estimated 30 percent of China's workforce dedicated to agriculture, poverty remains a problem for many of them. However, a collective farming cooperative improved agricultural production line are changing some farmers lives for the better. CGTN reporter Ning Hong visited Northern China's Hebei Province to find out more.

On the land where China's best chili is made, farmers are slowly saying goodbye to poverty, joining a collective agricultural cooperative.

WEI FENGLIANG, PEPPER FARMER JIZE COUNTY, HANDAN, HEBEI PROVINCE "It's a big change. We now have better quality and a larger yield of peppers. We are also provided with better seedlings."

And the chili they produce is all bought by a local food factory courtesy of the cooperative.

NING HONG HANDAN, HEBEI PROVINCE "In China the catering industry consumes hundreds of thousands of tons of chili like this every year. It also helps local farmers get rid of poverty."

What's more, a state-of-the-art processing factory is bringing local farmers more income, reducing the impact of a bad year. The chili products from this factory are used in restaurants across China. While providing more jobs for locals, the factory's production line is automated - helping reduce costs.

HOU BAOLIANG, GENERAL MANAGER CHANGSHA XIANGJUNFU FLAVOR INDUSTRY, LTD "Buying chili from an agricultural cooperative is a stable cooperation, with prices higher than average. This can bring hundreds of million yuan to farmers."

Hou's factory also keeps traditional chili production methods to make sure this longtime favorite retains its familiar flavor. Ning Hong, CGTN, Hebei Province.