Despite having to fight against the coronavirus outbreak, poverty-stricken areas in China are still working to shake off poverty in an attempt to meet the country’s target of eliminating poverty in 2020.

Many poor regions are helping companies with poverty-stricken employees resume operations, such as Cangxi County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

At one shoe factory in the county, 12 poor and 18 disabled employees have already gone back to their jobs. “We made sure that these people started work first so that they can still get a stable income during the epidemic,” said the manager at the factory.

Cangxi County has also helped over 1,200 local farmers get back to work in other cities and towns as the epidemic continues.

Government departments have also made use of Internet platforms to expand the channels for farmers looking to sell agricultural products. Ganxian District in Jiangxi Province, for example, has helped over 460 poor families sell products to supermarkets, communities and companies.

While helping poor regions establish long-term relationships with enterprises, supermarkets and e-commerce platforms to boost sales of agricultural products, the government also needs to improve storage and logistics infrastructure and help poverty-stricken areas develop a food processing industry, said Li Xiaoyun, a professor at the China Agricultural University.

Furthermore, governments need to support industries in poor areas, provide better healthcare, and prevent those who have been lifted out of poverty from slipping back into it, experts pointed out.