Sweet Dried Chili

I. Common Types and Core Characteristics of Sweet and Dried Chili Peppers

The classification of sweet and dried chili pepper varieties is based on their original species attributes and processing forms. They are generally divided into two main categories: whole pepper varieties and cut/ground varieties, along with specialty high-end varieties such as organic and smoked ones. Different varieties have distinct taste and appearance characteristics, precisely adapting to the dietary needs and consumption scenarios of different global markets, and serving as the core basis for foreign trade product selection.

Whole pepper varieties are the dominant category in the global market for sweet and dried chili peppers, accounting for over 70% of total exports. They can be directly used for processing or cooking without secondary cutting, making them cost-effective basic options. Among them, lantern-shaped dried sweet peppers are relatively large, 8-12cm in length, lantern-shaped, with thick flesh and few veins. Their color value ranges from 80-180 ASTA, with a pure sweet and low spiciness level (≤800 SHU). After drying, their shape remains intact, mainly suitable for the EU, Middle East, and ASEAN markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Long conical dried sweet peppers are medium-sized, 5-8cm in length, long conical, with smooth and seedless skin. Their color value is not less than 120 ASTA, spiciness level ≤300 SHU, and they have a sweet and non-astringent taste, being exclusively suitable for the high-end markets of Japan and South Korea. Linear dried sweet peppers are slender, 6-10cm in length, linear-shaped, with relatively thin but tough flesh, a slight fruity aroma, and a spiciness level between 500-800 SHU, mainly suitable for Southeast Asian markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Cut/ground varieties are customized products, accounting for 30% of total exports. They are made from secondary processing of dried whole peppers, with uniform specifications and no need for further processing by customers, adapting to large-scale production in the food industry and bulk cooking in the catering industry, with a higher premium space than whole pepper varieties. Among them, sweet pepper segments and shreds have fixed specifications: segments are 2-5cm, shreds are 0.5-1cm, with uniform overall specifications and no crumbs, moisture content ≤12%, and good storability, being common varieties for the food industry in all global markets. Sweet pepper powder is unseasoned, available in fine and medium-coarse types, with fine and crumb-free powder, uniform color, color value customizable between 60-240 ASTA, and spiciness adjustable according to needs, mainly suitable for the EU, the United States, and other North American markets.

Specialty high-end varieties are niche and high-premium products, featuring differentiated selling points such as organic and smoked, adapting to the global high-end organic market. Although their output is small, they have high profit margins and are core varieties for high-end foreign trade quotations. Organic dried sweet peppers meet international organic certification standards such as EU, USDA, and JAS, with pesticide residue content ≤0.01ppm, no genetically modified ingredients, and excellent fruit shape and appearance, mainly suitable for high-end markets such as Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Singapore. Smoked dried sweet peppers are made by low-temperature smoking with oak and fruit wood, with a unique smoky aroma, thick flesh, and color value ≥150 ASTA, mainly suitable for mainstream Western food markets such as Spain, France, and the United States.

II. Core Advantages of Sweet and Dried Chili Peppers Produced in Xinjiang

Xinjiang is the largest producing area of sweet and dried chili peppers in China, with annual output accounting for over 60% of the country's total and export volume accounting for over 70% of the country's total, making it the core source of sweet and dried chili pepper exports in China. Relying on its inherent natural and climatic endowments, combined with a sound variety layout, quality control and storage system, and cost-effective advantages, all indicators of Xinjiang-produced sweet and dried chili peppers fully meet the stringent standards of high-end markets such as Japan, the EU, and the United States, and also serve as a highly competitive regional endorsement in foreign trade quotations. The core advantages are reflected in five aspects.

1. Excellent natural and climatic endowments, inherently determining high quality

Xinjiang has a temperate continental arid climate, characterized by large temperature differences between day and night (15-20℃), long annual sunshine hours (2500-3500 hours), a long frost-free period (180-220 days), low precipitation, and dry and windy conditions. These perfectly meet the growth and natural drying needs of sweet peppers, inherently avoiding the quality issues of southern producing areas. Sufficient sunlight enables sweet peppers to accumulate more fructose and glucose, with a sweetness 2-3 degrees higher than that of southern producing areas, natural spiciness ≤800 SHU, and can be easily domesticated to ≤300 SHU, precisely matching the low spiciness needs of Japan and the EU. Strong sunlight also promotes the synthesis of capsanthin, with the color value of finished products generally reaching 100-200 ASTA, and some high-end varieties reaching 240 ASTA, far exceeding the industry average of 60-120 ASTA, meeting the core requirement of the Middle East and the EU for bright red color of sweet and dried chili peppers. In addition, the dry and less rainy climate in Xinjiang allows sweet peppers to be naturally air-dried instead of artificially dried, which not only reduces processing costs but also completely retains the natural sweetness and fruity aroma of sweet peppers, avoiding the burnt bitterness caused by artificial drying, resulting in a taste far superior to that of other producing areas. The arid climate also effectively inhibits the breeding of pests and diseases, with the local pesticide usage being only 1/3 of that in southern producing areas. The pesticide residue indicators easily meet Japan's Positive List and the EU's EC 396/2005 regulations, without the need for additional deep processing to remove pesticide residues, ensuring product quality from the source.

2. Sound variety layout, one-stop matching of global market needs

Relying on its unique climatic advantages, Xinjiang carries out large-scale cultivation of all mainstream sweet pepper varieties worldwide, achieving a full range of layouts from basic to high-end varieties, and from general to customized varieties. It can meet the multi-category procurement needs of foreign trade customers in one stop without integrating sources across producing areas, significantly reducing supply chain costs. In terms of basic varieties, large-scale cultivation of lantern-shaped and long conical sweet peppers is carried out, with large output and stable supply, precisely adapting to the bulk procurement needs of markets such as the EU, Middle East, and ASEAN. In terms of high-end varieties, focus is placed on cultivating organic sweet peppers, smoked sweet peppers, and seedless long conical sweet peppers, with organic certification coverage reaching 20%, making it the core supply base of organic sweet and dried chili peppers in China, adapting to the stringent requirements of high-end markets such as Japan, Germany, and Singapore. In terms of customized varieties, exclusive varieties with specific spiciness and color values can be cultivated according to the specific needs of overseas customers, and even fruit shapes can be customized, precisely adapting to scenario-based dietary needs such as Korean kimchi and Thai tom yum goong.

3. Mature quality control and storage system, adapting to long-distance foreign trade transportation

Xinjiang-produced sweet and dried chili peppers fully meet the needs of long-distance foreign trade transportation in terms of quality control and storage, with a product loss rate much lower than that of other domestic producing areas. On the one hand, the dry climate in Xinjiang naturally controls the moisture content of finished sweet and dried chili peppers at 8-10%, lower than the global export standard of ≤12%, making them less prone to mold and moisture during sea and land transportation, with a long-distance transportation loss rate of only 3-5%, far lower than the 10-15% in southern producing areas. On the other hand, sweet pepper cultivation in Xinjiang is concentrated in northern Xinjiang regions such as Changji, Shihezi, Tacheng, and eastern Xinjiang region of Hami, forming large-scale industrial belts, realizing unified seedling raising, unified management, and unified harvesting, making the uniformity of fruit shape, color, and sweetness of sweet and dried chili peppers reach over 95%, completely avoiding the problem of uneven quality caused by scattered cultivation. At the same time, the producing areas are equipped with professional production lines for screening, grading, cutting, and vacuum packaging, which can directly process into finished products such as whole peppers, sweet pepper segments/shreds, and sweet pepper powder according to the foreign trade requirements of overseas customers, without the need for secondary processing by customers, enabling direct customs clearance and shipment, improving the efficiency of foreign trade transactions.

4. Outstanding cost performance, a core competitiveness in foreign trade quotations

Xinjiang-produced sweet and dried chili peppers have the characteristics of low cost, large output, and convenient logistics, with outstanding cost performance, becoming a core competitiveness in foreign trade quotations. In terms of cost, the natural air-drying processing method replaces artificial drying, significantly reducing processing costs. Coupled with the reduction in planting costs brought by large-scale cultivation, the ex-factory price of Xinjiang sweet and dried chili peppers is 10-20% lower than that of southern producing areas. In terms of output, the planting area of sweet peppers in Xinjiang exceeds 500,000 mu, with an annual output of dried products exceeding 150,000 tons, which can fully meet the bulk order needs from all over the world. The harvest period is concentrated in September-October, and through professional warehousing, stable supply throughout the year can be achieved, avoiding supply chain problems such as out-of-stock in peak seasons and price increases in off-seasons. In terms of logistics, as a core location of the "Belt and Road Initiative", Xinjiang can ship goods through multiple channels such as China-Europe Railway Express, Central and West Asian land transportation, and port sea transportation. The logistics time and cost to core markets such as the EU, Middle East, and ASEAN are lower than those of inland producing areas, and the customs clearance efficiency is also higher, further reducing the comprehensive cost of foreign trade transactions.

5. Sound policy and industrial support, escorting foreign trade exports

As a national core producing area for agricultural product exports, Xinjiang enjoys multiple policy supports such as export tax rebates for agricultural products and cross-border logistics subsidies, providing policy guarantees for the foreign trade export of sweet and dried chili peppers. At the same time, the producing areas are equipped with one-stop services such as professional plant quarantine, pesticide residue testing, and origin certificate processing, which can quickly issue testing reports and customs clearance documents that meet the standards of different global markets, significantly shortening the delivery cycle of foreign trade orders and making procurement more efficient and worry-free for overseas customers.

Overall, relying on the core advantages of high color value, high sweetness, low pesticide residues, low loss, and full range of varieties, Xinjiang-produced sweet and dried chili peppers can one-stop adapt to the needs of all global sweet and dried chili pepper consumer markets. For high-end and stringent markets such as Japan, the EU, and the United States, high-end varieties such as organic and seedless long conical ones can be supplied to meet stringent requirements for pesticide residues and appearance. For bulk demand markets such as the Middle East, ASEAN, and South Korea, basic varieties such as lantern-shaped whole peppers and kimchi-specific sweet peppers can be supplied to meet the needs of bulk cooking and processing. For the food industry end of all global markets, sweet pepper segments/shreds and sweet pepper powder with uniform specifications can be supplied to meet the needs of large-scale production of instant noodles, pre-made dishes, compound seasonings, etc., making Xinjiang a core preferred source for global sweet and dried chili pepper procurement.