Capital shares wealth by revitalizing rural areas, tackling poverty head-on

With nearly 70 years of development, Beijing's rural areas have become more vibrant and its rural residents have seen yearly incomes surge, local officials said.

The per capita disposable income of Beijing's rural residents reached 26,490 yuan ($3,730) in 2018. This represents an average annual increase of 8.9 percent since 1956, according to statistics from the Beijing Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

"Agriculture, rural areas and farmers are essential issues to social welfare," said Kang Sen, deputy head of the bureau.

Rural areas have been developed into environmental shelters for Beijing. These have become an important part of the capital's development as a livable international city, Kang said.

Beijing has dedicated itself to promoting greener and more efficient agriculture following the philosophy of high-quality and green development, innovation and integration, he said.

The city's agricultural technology sector contributes 72 percent of local agriculture' growth. This is 14 percentage points higher than the average in the country, he added.

With the achievements in agriculture, Beijing has provided support for poverty alleviation in counties through industrial development, education and health.

"Beijing has prioritized poverty alleviation through industrial assimilation," said Wang Zhaolong, deputy director of the Beijing office responsible for poverty alleviation.

Known as a main peach production center, Pinggu district of Beijing has more than 200 peach varieties with the application of more than 30 technologies.

In 2018, Beijing began to use Pinggu's peach resources and planting technologies to help develop the peach industry at Luopu county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

To date, farmers in Luopu county have planted more than 10,000 grafted peach trees, achieving a survival rate surpassing 80 percent.

"We have not only brought peaches, technology and management, but also items that represent Pinggu's goodwill," said Xu Shennan, who holds a temporary post as deputy Party secretary of Luopu county.

Beijing Xinyi, a planting company, has set up a subsidiary in Luopu. It completed the land transfer of 90 local greenhouses to grow peaches.

These greenhouses are expected to generate 1 million yuan in annual revenue by the end of 2019. Next year, the output is projected to reach 3 metric tons per 0.07 hectares. The increase is expected to lift 180 households out of poverty.

So far, Beijing has helped 771 locals to escape poverty through land leasing, shareholders' dividends and a range of industrial services.

Baarin Left Banner in Chifeng, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is home to broom plants, a kind of shrub used in the making of traditional brooms.

In 2014, the Beijing government invested 1.75 million yuan to upgrade a building for broom production in Baarin. The building produces more than 10 million brooms annually and has lifted 100 households out of poverty.

Last year, Beijing provided 17 million yuan to promote Baarin's broom industry.

Xu Liqin, 56, who works at a local broom factory, said the industry brings her family more opportunities to escape poverty.

"I can earn about 88 yuan a day and work for about eight months annually except for the busy farming season," Xu said. Broom making can help her to earn more than 20,000 yuan in yearly income.

"Thanks to Beijing's help in boosting the broom industry, my family will be able to get rid of poverty soon," she said.

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/01/2019 page10)