World Bank promotes Guizhou's poverty alleviation experience

The wrap-up meeting of the World Bank Guizhou Rural Development Project was held in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, on April 17.

This is the first poverty alleviation project to be completed through cooperation between Guizhou and the World Bank. It was launched in 2015 and was finally completed in August 2021.

The project attracted a total investment of 820 million yuan ($119.08 million), covering 11 counties, 63 towns, and 238 administrative villages. It benefitted 111,100 households and 444,200 people, including 171,900 people who were recorded as poverty stricken.

Currently, there are 75 cooperatives operating under the project, with 39 of them gaining profits, distributing a total of 3.23 million yuan in bonuses to their shareholders. A total of 31,000 households have joined cooperatives, and 84.89 percent of which are families who have been lifted out of poverty, which surpasses the project's 60 percent requirement.

With the support of the project, the cooperatives have registered 43 trademarks and 16 geographical indications. Additionally, 819 kilometers of roads have been built, along with 92 water bodies, 36 water towers, and a water pipe network that measures 170,000 meters.

Wu Tan, deputy Party secretary of the Guizhou Rural Vitalization Bureau, said at the meeting that the World Bank has made significant contributions to help Guizhou build a moderately prosperous society through effective cooperation in poverty reduction.

Laisy Komba Chengula, director of the Agricultural Department at the World Bank China Office, said that every project undertaken in collaboration with Guizhou over the past 30 years has made remarkable progress.

With the solid achievements gained from the Guizhou Agricultural Development Project, it is hoped that the World Bank's Green Agriculture and Rural Vitalization Project will also be successfully implemented through joint efforts.

Going forward, Guizhou will continue to deepen its cooperation with the World Bank, in order to explore new modes and practices in foreign investment projects. This will help accumulate replicable and promotable experience for Guizhou to consolidate its poverty alleviation results.