Currently, grape leaves make a significant contribution to the increase in income of residents of Khotan Prefecture in the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in northwestern China. Located on the edge of the Takli Makan Desert, the prefecture boasts plenty of sunshine, low rainfall and a large temperature difference between day and night, making it an ideal place to grow fruit.
Gulnisakhan Tohti, who has been growing grapes in the town of Langan, Yutian County for more than two decades, would never have thought that grape leaves would be sold at a higher price than grapes.
According to him, the purchase price of grape leaves this year reached 8 yuan (about 1.13 US dollars) per kilogram, while the price of grapes reached 6 yuan per kilogram.
Not only Gulnisakhan, but also many other grape growers made a profit by selling grape leaves to a local food processing company. She specializes in producing rice dishes in grape leaves, also known as dolma.
Dolma has a very long history and is a popular snack in many countries, especially in the Mediterranean regions.
Mutallip Anwar, the CEO of the company, saw this opportunity while still studying in London. Realizing that dolma sold well in Western countries, he thought about the large vineyard of his hometown of Xinjiang.
After a series of trips, Mutallip found resources for making dolmas in Yutian County, and then started his business there. Now its products are sold as hot snacks in Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Australia and the USA.