Qujiang establishes industry park to help poor villages

Qujiang, one of the six counties and districts in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, started to establish an industry park at Qujiang Economic Development Zone on Dec 19.

The construction of the industry park is scheduled to be completed in 10 months and it will serve as a start-up base for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The project is expected to help 124 provincial-level poverty-stricken villages increase a total operational income of 40,000 yuan ($5,798) each year.

With an investment of 143 million yuan, including 9.3 million yuan from poverty-stricken villages, the industry park covers an area of 56.58 mu, including a factory of four-to-five layers and an entertainment center for staff members.

"In the first three years of the park's operation, poverty-stricken villages in Qujiang will collect 6.8 percent of their investment as dividend," said Wang Lihong, director of Qujiang's poverty relief office. "Three years later, these villages will establish new companies with local investment corporations and draw dividends in proportion to their capital contribution from the companies' operation."

Tu Gangliang, Party secretary of Guanshandi village of Quanwang town, revealed that in addition to the industry park, their village also plans to build a 140 mu farm integrating vegetable cultivation and dried vegetable processing.

Based on paired poverty relief companies, the farm plans to expand its market and increase local farmers' income.

Qujiang district has focused on helping poor local villages get rid of poverty over the past few years.

To date, the total income of the district's rural collective economy has reached 115 million yuan in 2018, up by 49 percent year-on-year and operational income exceeded 41.1 million yuan, a soaring increase of 57 percent year-on-year, according to Zhou Xiangjun, Party secretary of Qujiang district, at the launching ceremony of the to-be-built industry park.