Tianjin steps in to help agricultural sales

Tianjin is helping rural areas sell their agricultural products after sales dropped off because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The local government held a signing ceremony online on Tuesday that attracted 218 companies from more than 10 regions, mostly in western and inland areas such as Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Companies reached 204 agreements involving 1.53 billion yuan ($216 million) worth of agricultural and animal products. Most were local food sales and online commerce companies that typically purchase products and services from a wide variety of areas. Gansu province has received the most orders for its agricultural and sideline products, valued at 572 million yuan.

The contracts are expected to benefit 141,600 poverty-stricken people, said Zhang Qingen of the Tianjin Cooperation and Exchange Office on Tuesday.

Tianjin stepped in after a call from the central government to minimize the shock of the pandemic and win the battle against absolute poverty after the pandemic. This year is the final one for China to meet its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.