Villagers escape poverty through the grapevine

Grape trellises are a common sight in rural areas of the southern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The plant, not only provides locals precious shade in the scorching summer heat, but also bears fruit which is famously sweet and juicy.

One such village is Yujimilike in Yutian county, which is situated on the southern edge of Taklimakan, the world's second-largest shifting desert. Despite its dusty weather, the region is suitable for the growth of grapes thanks to the ample sunshine and pristine snowmelt flowing down from the Kunlun Mountains.

Yujimilike has a long history of cultivating grapes. But in the past, the sweetness of the fruit did not translate into the prosperity of villagers.

In 2016, among the 2,524 residents of the village, 526 lived under the national poverty line – a per-capita income of less than 2,300 yuan ($336) per year (2010 constant prices).

One important cause of the high poverty rate was a lack of alternative sources of income.

"In a bad year, the villagers would see their incomes reduced dramatically, pushing families into financial difficulty," said Tian Jianhua, head of a working team sent from Yutian county to Yujimilike. 

To address the problem, efforts have been made to diversify villagers' sources of income.

Starting last year, grape leaves, which in the past were deemed as having no economic value and used to feed livestock, have been turned into a new source of income.

The leaves are exported to countries such as Chile, where they are used as wrapping for glutinous rice and made into canned food, said Zulfukar Nijat, a Party official of the village.

Growers can earn 5 yuan for each kilogram of leaves they sell. And each mu (667 square meters) of grape land can produce about 400 kg of leaves.

Arzgu Abduhayni, a villager, said the picking season of grape leaves lasts from May to September. Her family grows six mu of grapes, and the income from the sales of grapes and leaves were more than 50,000 yuan last year.

According to the government of Lan'gan township, which administers Yujimilike village, the output value of the township's grape industry reached 148 million yuan last year, among which 24 million yuan came from the sales of grape leaves.