North China's Shanxi province has sold 8.8 billion yuan ($1.34 billion) of agricultural products from poverty-stricken areas since 2018 -- helping 242,200 poor people to boost their incomes -- according to a symposium for consumption-driven poverty alleviation demonstration bodies which was held recently in the provincial capital Taiyuan.

Since 2018, the province has implemented a range of measures to promote consumer spending that targets reducing poverty in the region. 

It has promoted agricultural products from poor areas to government agencies, enterprises, schools, hospitals and the military. 

Through sales promotions -- such as exhibitions and fairs, shopping mall and supermarket direct sales, e-commerce marketing and tourism promotions -- sales of farm produce from poor areas in the province had significantly increased.