Southwest China's Guizhou province is going to carry out comprehensive industrial reform to alleviate poverty and vitalize rural areas.

Sun Zhigang, secretary of the Guizhou Provincial CPC Committee, announced the news at the open press conference for Guizhou NPC deputies on March 8 during the 2018 NPC&CPPCC Annual legislative and Political Advisory Sessions in Beijing.

"Guizhou is an important national battleground in the fight against poverty," said Sun. "The biggest challenge is how to alleviate poverty through industry."

The province still needs to bring another 2.8 million rural residents out of poverty and raise the living standard for another 20 million. To achieve this, local authorities decided to strengthen industrial reform in the countryside.

The first move is to increase the average rural household income by replacing traditional crops with more profitable vegetables, teas, edible fungus and traditional Chinese medicine herbs.

After selecting a leading industry, the local government will research and design the whole industrial chain, making use of the provincial fund for poverty relief to serve rural residents by teaching them how to use more advanced planting technologies.

Meanwhile, leading local marketing companies will cooperate with farmers and planting cooperatives to help sell agricultural products, alleviating some of the burden on farmers.

The Guizhou government is confident that improved agricultural products will help cultivate more competitive agricultural companies and improve the lives of farmers.

Sun Zhigang, secretary of the Guizhou Provincial CPC Committee, speaks at the open press conference for Guizhou NPC deputies on March 8. [Photo/todayguizhou.com]