Prickly Ash Planting Paves the Way to Prosperity in Beipanjiang Town, Zhenfeng

    Once the rocky desertification was a source of sorrow, but now the fragrance of prickly ash is famed far and wide. In the Dingtan area of Beipanjiang Town, Zhenfeng County, 90% of the land is rocky crevices, and it was once deemed by experts as "a place unfit for human survival." It was thanks to the strong support of the Party and the government, the introduction of prickly ash varieties suited to local growing conditions, and the hard work, practical effort and ingenuity of the people of Dingtan that the once barren and rocky Dingtan area, with its jagged stones and desolation, has become verdant and lush. This small prickly ash has not only pioneered the "Dingtan Model" for combating rocky desertification, but more importantly, achieved a double harvest of ecological and economic benefits. As late summer gives way to early autumn and August approaches, Dingtan prickly ash is about to usher in yet another bumper harvest. 

    Arriving in Dingtan and following the stone-paved mountain road, the rocky slopes on both sides are covered in lush greenery. A gentle breeze blows past, and the air is filled with the fragrance of prickly ash that makes the taste buds tingle. Since the harvest season has not yet arrived, the scene of picking prickly ash all over the mountain is not to be seen; instead, a few scattered farmers dotting the greenery have become a unique sight in themselves. 

    According to Luo Zeliang, who was pruning his own prickly ash by the roadside, there are still about 15 days until the large-scale picking of prickly ash, that is, mid-August, when farmers will be busy everywhere across the mountains, and some large growers whose own families lack enough hands will even need to hire temporary workers. At present, picking prickly ash is a by-product of pruning the trees. 

    When talking about his own prickly ash, Luo Zeliang's joy was written all over his face. He himself grows 60 mu of prickly ash, and the whole village grows 8,000 mu in total. Dingtan prickly ash has plump kernels, and the fresh pepper is greenish-yellow in color with an oily, glossy shell and good appearance. Although the harvest season has not yet arrived, buyers from Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangxi and within the province have already been contacting him to place orders. The brand "Dingtan Prickly Ash" is renowned both within and beyond the province. According to research and verification by the provincial science and technology bureau, the unique karst landscape of the Dingtan area, along with its high altitude and the heat-dissipation effect of the rocks after evening falls, provide exceptional conditions for the growth of prickly ash, which is also the reason why Dingtan prickly ash has a strong numbing taste and rich flavor. A single prickly ash tree has a high-yield fruiting period of 10 years. After picking, the fresh pepper is first placed in a cool place for one day, allowing the fruit to lose water and the shell to retain oil, and then sun-dried for one day to become dried pepper that can be ground directly into powder for use as a seasoning. 10 jin of fresh pepper can be sun-dried into about 2.5 jin of dried pepper. The purchase price of dried pepper this year is expected to be around 30 yuan per jin. By this estimate, Luo Zeliang's family will earn more than 60,000 yuan from prickly ash alone this year. 

    "Now, every household in our Dingtan area lives in a bungalow, and refrigerators, color TVs, telephones, mobile phones and motorcycles are no longer rare items. Relying on rocky crevice land, we have actually managed to live a good life." Luo Zeliang's plain words sincerely reflect how the Party's sound policies, its attention to the issues of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and the path of achieving prosperity through science and technology and sustainable development have brought tangible changes to the folks deep in the mountains. 

    May such good days benefit more farmers, and may Dingtan's prickly ash spread its fragrance to every household and win fame both at home and abroad.