STORY: Turpan in China's Xinjiang turns grape leaves into gold
SHOOTING TIME: May 23, 2024
DATELINE: May 27, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:06
LOCATION: TURPAN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Xinjiang's Turpan
2. various of "dolma" (file)
3. various of Xinjiang's Turpan and local farmers
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): SIKANDAR WULARAYN, Local villager
5. various of Xinjiang's Turpan

STORYLINE:

Turpan, a major grape-producing region in northwest China's Xinjiang, has found a clever use for its previously discarded grape leaves.

These leaves are now exported to Mediterranean countries to be used in making "dolma," a popular delicacy wrapped in grape leaves.

This initiative has provided a new and lucrative income source for local farmers.

In Shanshan County, villagers are busy pruning grapevines and hand-selecting grape leaves.

The leaves will then be delivered to collection points for assessment, weighing, and payment.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): SIKANDAR WULARAYN, Local villager
"In the past, we would feed the grape leaves to the sheep at home. Now, we began picking the grape leaves starting from early May. Then we sell them to the processing plants. During the period from May to August, there is usually no other source of income for us. Selling these leaves to the plants provides a substantial amount for covering our living expenses, allowing the family to earn a good sum of money."

By merely selling grape leaves, a villager can now earn 80 to 100 yuan (about 11 to 14 USD) per day, and 7,000 to 9,000 yuan (about 966 to 1,242 USD) over the summer season.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Turpan, China.
(XHTV)