Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Ren Chunxiang) news: On the morning of June 17, 2025 Halipa Mamatruz started her workday in a greenhouse at Kayizi Village in Qiaerlong Town, Akto County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as temperatures rose outside. Inside, dewdrops glistened on leaves while she expertly harvested vibrant bell peppers destined for Kyrgyzstan and beyond.

The 29-year-old Halipa serves as Party branch secretary of Kayizi Village and is affectionately called the "Bell Pepper Secretary" by locals. After graduating from university, she resolutely returned home to lead villagers in growing bell peppers, tomatoes, and other produce in greenhouses, exploring new paths to prosperity. This fulfilled her long-held dream: helping fellow villagers build a better life.

Photo taken on June 17, 2025 shows Halipa Mamatruz helps vegetable growers pick vegetables in a planting greenhouse in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Wang Chao)

Halipa was born into a local herder family. As a child, she was deeply affected by seeing livestock die due to lack of veterinarians and medicines, which inspired her to become a vet and help local herders.

Upon graduating from Xinjiang Agricultural University's veterinary program in 2019, she returned home as a village official. This coincided with the community's relocation from mountain pastures to Qiaerlong Town’s settlement under poverty alleviation efforts, where former herders faced the challenge of mastering farming techniques.

Years of grassroots experience taught Halipa that economic vitality is key to community stability. In March 2024, she led two village committee members to visit a vegetable cooperative in Shandong Province, reaching a cooperation agreement to demonstrate colorful bell pepper greenhouse cultivation.

"Akto County's large day-night temperature difference and abundant sunlight make it ideal for facility agriculture. During our Shandong visit, we learned our climate suits high-value crops like bell peppers. The cooperative provides services from seedling selection to harvesting, plus professional technical guidance. Our county's geographical advantages offer great potential for specialty agricultural exports, and cross-border e-commerce can help access international markets," said Halipa. Accordingly, the village integrated 22 greenhouses to trial-plant the cooperative's purely green, pollution-free, highly nutritious, colorful bell peppers.

　　The pioneering phase proved most challenging. Introducing unfamiliar crops to the highlands, Halipa endured countless sleepless nights guiding villagers through this untested venture. "Those early days were difficult," she recalled. "Without experience, some growers wavered. We provided step-by-step guidance, constant reminders, and encouragement. During that period, we lived in the greenhouses, even eating all three daily meals there."

To overcome technical challenges, Halipa immersed herself in agricultural studies and sought help from Akto County's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, inviting expert teams for on-site guidance. She also organized village growers to visit advanced greenhouse bases elsewhere and formed technical support groups with neighboring large-scale farmers. By day, she conducted greenhouse experiments repeatedly and recorded data; by night, she studied cultivation techniques. Through persistent effort, she gradually mastered key greenhouse farming technologies.

That year, the village celebrated a bumper harvest of bell peppers. The yield from 22 greenhouses was sold via cross-border e-commerce, generating 500,000 yuan (about 69,723.48 U.S. dollars) in sales. Villager Tuoyiqibieke Mierzibayi said, "At first everyone feared the risks, but Secretary Halipa helped us persevere. Now we get annual dividends, and life keeps improving."

"Unity breeds success." Halipa envisioned a new plan. She actively promoted a "Party branch + company + farmers" model, uniting six villages to establish Xinjiang Qiaguo Import & Export Co., Ltd., consolidating 360 greenhouses for scaled cultivation to build the "Color Bell Pepper" brand. Partnering with cross-border e-commerce platforms, the company created dual channels of "specialty cultivation + border economy." Since the initial planting, the town's bell pepper exports have reached 1,200 tons, creating over 100 local jobs with 30,000 yuan average income growth per capita, while the six villages' collective income exceeded 4.8 million yuan (about 0.67 million U.S. dollars).

"Every step brings me closer to my dream," Halipa said with determination. "I'll keep working to guide more villagers toward prosperity while contributing to Xinjiang's development. Seeing their lives improve makes all my efforts worthwhile." Her ambitious plans include expanding operations with smart greenhouses, introducing premium crop varieties, and boosting both quality and yield to elevate villagers' incomes to new heights.

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