Central China Party secretary visits rural poverty sites

The Party secretary of Henan province, Guo Gengmao, took a tour in Tongbai county, near the major city of Nanyang, on Aug 11, to get closer to rural areas and listen to what local farmers have to say about what the government could do to make their families better off.

Guo suggested that they make better use of local resources and take steps to alleviate poverty and develop, and listened to Xu Xiushuang in the village of Yangzhuang, who said, "We're a family of four, with two children in school and our major income from farming. I also do some odd jobs during the slack season so our annual income is about 10,000 yuan ($1,562)."

When asked about his suggestions for local government action, Xu said his desire is to make use of the forests on the mountains around the village to raise sheep and that he hopes the government can support him with funds and technology.

Guo encouraged Xu to open the door to wealth with his hands and told local officials to provide the technical training and information needed for farmers to take advantage of the resources to develop agriculture.

Guo also said it is important for government to improve infrastructure, roads, and waterways and forests and find new ways to ensure people in the province all get out of poverty by 2020.

During his visit to the Henan Zhongyuan Chemical Co in the county's Anpeng Chemical Industry Park, Guo praised it for its development of creative technology for local resources.