Yizhou advances consumption-oriented poverty alleviation efforts

Yizhou district in Hechi has been taking steps to advance its consumption-oriented poverty alleviation efforts in recent years by relying on its ecological and special agricultural products, as well as establishing a long-term and stable production, supply, and marketing mechanism.

For remote poverty-stricken villages with inconvenient transportation in the district, consumption-oriented poverty alleviation platforms like cooperatives and enterprises were set up locally to purchase, repack, and sell the agricultural products of impoverished households.

Luo Caiqiang, an impoverished farmer in the district's Gaoshan village, has earned a total of 10,700 yuan ($1,507.13) through the selling of soybeans, corn, and peanuts.

"My village is far from the markets. The cooperatives and enterprises now make it possible for us to sell agricultural products in the village at a good price. It brings us the hope of getting rich," said Luo.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, farmers in Gaoshan village have generated more than 50,000 yuan in agricultural products sales through these platforms.

In addition, e-commerce and industrial associations in Yizhou have bolstered promotions of the agricultural products produced by impoverished villagers. Special areas and shops for agricultural products from poverty-stricken areas have been set up in the district's supermarkets, shopping malls, and wholesale markets to promote poverty alleviation efforts through consumption.

In 2019, Yizhou built a three-level e-commerce service network of district, township, and village to promote the online and offline sales of agricultural products. Various marketing activities were also carried out to further open markets for agricultural products from impoverished areas.

"My company has signed agreements with farmers to purchase their agricultural and sideline products, which will be sold through e-commerce platforms," said Wei Juqing, the person in charge of Hechi Aniumei Ecological and Agricultural Technology Development Co Ltd.

The e-commerce transaction volume of Yizhou in 2019 reached 150 million yuan, of which the online sales of agricultural products were 58 million yuan, benefiting 1,800 impoverished households.

Yizhou has also encouraged the creation of regional characteristic brands for the 10 poverty alleviation industries to enhance the market competitiveness of products.

In addition, the district has supported the cultivation of new types of agricultural business entities, such as leading enterprises, specialized farmers' cooperatives, and family farms based on the local resources and industrial base to help lift impoverished households in rural areas out of poverty.

To date, 1,004 new business entities have been established in Yizhou district, including 210 villagers' cooperatives, 16 key leading enterprises, 704 specialized farmers' cooperatives, and 74 family farms.

The planting and breeding cooperative in Gaoshan village was established to strengthen the brand construction of local agricultural products. In 2019, sales of local agricultural products like pigs, chickens, soybeans, corn, and peanuts through the cooperative reached 133,000 yuan, benefiting 120 impoverished households.