Broom plant sweeps away Xinjiang villagers' poverty

URUMQI－When Uroziali Harsiharbayi first came to Uzunerik village in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in early 2018, his shoes were almost buried in dirt when he stepped onto the main street.

Uzunerik is located in Hotan prefecture's Karakax county, an impoverished area with the largest number of poor residents in Xinjiang. Arable land and other natural resources are scarce, giving the residents limited ways to make a living. In early 2018, more than 60 percent of the 1,900 villagers lived below the national poverty line.

The same year, Uroziali was assigned from Urumqi, the regional capital, to lead the village out of poverty. He realized agriculture and livestock breeding couldn't be supported, so he decided to take advantage of the village's human resources.

After conducting surveys of local grocery stores, Uroziali saw a business opportunity in making brooms.

"Hotan is close to the world's second-largest shifting desert, the Taklimakan Desert, making sweeping a necessity for local people. Good brooms are in huge demand," he said.

Uroziali and a group of villagers set up a small workshop and pooled their money to buy sorghum stalks and other materials to make brooms. But the group's first brooms didn't sell well due to their poor design and function.

"It was a huge blow to us. We were ready to give up the business and turn the brooms into feed for cattle," said Memtimin Akh, head of the broom plant.

Undaunted, Uroziali insisted on sticking to the broom business. He consulted broom factories in other parts of China and upgraded the broom-making machines. He also visited grocery stores in the prefecture to promote the villagers' new products.

His perseverance paid off. The brooms sold well in Hotan Bazaar. The first batch of 1,000 brooms was snapped up by customers for 20,000 yuan.

"The villagers jumped with joy at the news. They finally saw a path to making more money," Memtimin said. The broom manufacturing plant now covers more than 1,000 square meters and employs 100 residents. Annual sales revenue generated by the broom sales exceeds 5 million yuan ($715,000).

Mireximu Nizamidin, 56, works at the broom plant. He and his wife used to make straw mats for a living, and could only earn 70 yuan a day. Now he earns more than double that amount, bringing home five yuan for each of the 30 brooms he makes every day.

After a year's work at the broom plant, Mireximu's family shook off poverty last year. "We bought our first refrigerator and washing machine last year," he said.

Entrepreneurship has spread beyond the broom plant. Encouraged by the broom business's success, many villagers have started their own enterprises. A total of 16 small plants have been set up in the village, making an array of products ranging from flour to toilet paper and rat traps.

The plants have created stable jobs for residents and helped reduce the village's poverty rate to about 20 percent.

Uroziali put on an exhibition of the village's micro industries this month to encourage villagers to explore new markets.

"Entrepreneurship will help them sharpen their competitive edge and to stand on their own feet," he said.

Xinhua