POWERCHINA Helps Poverty-Stricken Areas Promote Local Products

E-commerce has been a preferred method Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA) in promoting agricultural products from poverty-stricken counties since 2018.

The company was responsible for poverty-alleviation in Jianchuan and Minfeng counties of Southwest China's Yunnan province and Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Agriculture is the traditional industry of the two counties.

Taking advantage of high altitude, rich solar energy, sound ecological environment, diversified species and high quality products, Jianchuan has strong competitiveness in its agricultural products. Minfeng also has such brand products as jujube, walnuts, pears, raisins and Shaji, or sea-buckthorn (hippophae rhamnoides).

Promoting agricultural products, upgrading industries and making full use of advantages is the best way to improve local villagers' income.

Therefore, POWERCHINA cooperated with e-commerce platforms and established special online columns for products of Jianchuan and Minfeng counties.

Product quality, packaging, purchase services and transport were improved to promote the agricultural products to the public and help more people participating in poverty-alleviation projects by purchasing and enjoying the food.

In addition, the company itself purchased the two counties' products including local apples, potatoes and onions as well as jujube, walnuts and raisins in 2018 and 2019. The products, valued at about 16 million yuan ($2.26 million), weighed about 660 tons.

Impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, many poverty-stricken areas have unsalable goods piled up.

Li Bo, a POWERCHINA's Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co., Ltd employee who was sent to Jiagu village in Jinyang county of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province to carry on a precise poverty-alleviation project, launched a livestreaming event on Douyin, a popular livestreaming platform in China, to promote unsalable agricultural products.

Products valued at more than 3,000 yuan were sold the first day, which included pepper and jerked-beef.

Actually, as early as 2018, Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co., Ltd had begun using the internet to improve conditions for impoverished households, opening an online shop to help promote and sell Jiagu's products.

So far, a total of more than 110,000 yuan of sales have been realized since the online shop was launched. The platform has also established cooperation with the company's 113 projects in China, which guarantees an annual sale of 10,000 yuan.

Villagers sort jujubes in a workshop. The jujubes are a branded agricultural product in Minfeng county. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Li Bo (Left), from Sinohydro Bureau 5 Co., Ltd, livestreams to sale Jiagu's products during the pandemic. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Zhang Tianyuan)