In Xiaojia village, Liuji township, a few kilometers away from Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar autonomous county of Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in Gansu province, the village renovation program is in full swing.
Jinchuan Group donates anti-pandemic supplies to villages in Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar autonomous county, Gansu province. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
"To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the county, in July 2021, Jinchuan Group spent 3 million yuan ($443,524.53) renovating houses in Xiaojia village along the Linxia-Dahejia Highway, improving villagers’ living environment and enhancing their life satisfaction," said Ma Huzhong, head of Jinchuan Group’s assistance team in Jishishan.
As early as in April 2012, Jinchuan Group began to assist five villages in Liuji township of Jishishan county in their development. In July 2017, the group expanded its support to eight villages across four townships in the county.
Jinchuan established a leading team and an administrative body for the coordination and promotion of the assistance work, with the chairman of the company serving as the team leader. The group's top and middle management as well as 43 subordinate units are all involved in the assistance for impoverished villages and households.
Jinchuan also appointed 27 staff members to work in the county, and selected a middle–level management staff in charge of the coordination, guidance and administration of the eight assistance teams. They are an efficient and effective working team.
Jinchuan Group helps develop beef and sheep breeding industries in targeted assistance villages in Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar autonomous county, Gansu province. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
Rather than mere donations, Jinchuan adopts industrialized means and promotes sustainable development in targeted areas. In 2014 and 2015, the group infused a total of 2.5 million yuan of assistance fund in purchasing 1,029 ewes for 147 households, helping farmers increasing income by raising sheep.
"Jinchuan Group has brought benefits to us, and our life is getting better," said Ma Yufu, a villager in Magou village, Zhaizigou township.
Jinchuan Group spends over 2 million yuan to build the cattle farm in Dongpingsi village, Zhaizigou township, Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar autonomous county. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
In addition, as Jishishan has a long history of raising cattle, since 2018, Jinchuan Group has invested 12 million yuan in building professional cooperatives for beef cattle breeding.
Through employing centralized and household breeding methods, the cooperatives have turned small-scale businesses into orderly mass production, and explored an industrial model involving leading enterprises, village collectives, cooperatives, farmers, and insurance, which minimized risks and ensured a stable increase in the villagers’ income.
To enhance farmers’ earnings, the Linxia government has encouraged feed crop cultivation and straw utilization. Jinchuan has responded quickly and promoted the plantation of more than 160 hectares of forage maize in the eight partner villages, and offered a subsidy of 6,000 yuan per hectare.
The forage corn can meet villagers' needs of livestock breeding or be sold to cooperatives at the market price of 400 yuan per ton. Compared with planting traditional crops, villagers’ income saw a growth of 16,800 yuan per hectare.
Jinchuan Group invests over 2 million yuan in building the cornstalk kneading and packing site in Magou village, Zhaizigou township. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
"The company has invested 3.4 million yuan over three years, of which more than 2 million yuan was used to subsidize farmers. We will try to package 90,000 forage corn bales this year," said Ma.
Apart from efforts made to develop industries, Jinchuan has also set up a training base in Jishishan, providing training in terms of labor skills, agricultural technology, and quality improvement.
Among more than 1,500 people who have been trained for a variety of skills, 787 of whom passed elementary and intermediate skill appraisal tests for jobs as welders, fitters, and scrapers and excavator drivers. Over 600 people from Linxia are currently working at Jinchuan Group.
Zhang Huilan, a villager from Liuji village who was once a migrant worker, has received the breeding training offered by Jinchuan Group after returning to the village.
"By raising sheep, my annual income now exceeds 40,000 yuan," Zhang said.
