Committee Member Lei Jufang: Only by adapting to local conditions can we show “extra care.”

Release time:

2017-03-10 14:04

　　“Poverty in ethnic minority regions has become the most prominent poverty issue in our country, making these regions the primary battleground for China’s future anti-poverty efforts,” is the view put forward in the recently published “Social Security Green Book: China Social Security Development Report (2017).”

　　In other words, only by winning the battle against poverty in ethnic minority regions can we eliminate the “shortest plank” among the “shortcomings” in our country’s efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

　　“To eliminate the ‘shortcomings,’ simply providing material assistance is like giving blood transfusions—such a model is unsustainable. The key to helping impoverished ethnic regions shake off poverty lies in cultivating self-sustaining mechanisms within these areas,” suggested Lei Jufang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from the medical and health sector.

　　In her view, developing the pharmaceutical industry in ethnic minority regions not only safeguards the health of local residents but also fosters a self-sustaining poverty-alleviation mechanism by leveraging specialty industries to help local residents escape poverty.

　　A green trade handbook on medicinal plants from Nepal once inspired Lei Jufang with insights into industry-based poverty alleviation. The handbook emphasizes that medicinal plants should be cultivated in a three-dimensional manner, taking into account the local ecological environment, and that trade in these medicinal plants should adhere to rules of sustainable development.

　　Under these rules of three-dimensional cultivation and green trade, the scale of medicinal plant cultivation has expanded. Far from being damaged by harvesting, the ecological environment has instead been better protected. Many women and children have joined the ranks of green cultivation and trade of medicinal plants, not only earning income and escaping poverty but also enhancing their social status.

　　Lei Jufang told reporters that the pharmaceutical industry is also an important resource for China’s ethnic minority regions. Linked on one end to culture and on the other to economic development, this industry can likewise serve as a crucial and sustainable resource for targeted poverty alleviation in these regions.

　　“For example, Tibetan medicinal baths used to treat rheumatic diseases have attracted residents from all over the world who come specifically to experience them. Even many foreigners would rather queue up in Tibet for as long as a month—just to enjoy a few Tibetan medicinal baths. These baths not only bring economic benefits to local residents but also help promote the unique strengths of traditional ethnic medicine,” Lei Jufang told the reporter.

　　The same holds true for the cultivation of ethnic medicinal herbs. In Lei Jufang’s view, since these ethnic medicinal herbs are plants that can be grown year after year, fully utilizing the soil in which they’re rooted can directly generate economic value and help local residents shake off poverty.

　　More than one committee member has said that we should “give ethnic regions a bit more attention and show them extra care.” Lei Jufang believes that this “extra care” must also be tailored to local conditions—seeding the seeds of poverty alleviation according to the wishes of the local people. Only when these seeds thrive can we truly eradicate the root causes of poverty in ethnic regions.

　　Reporting Media: People's Political Consultative Conference Daily

　　Report link: http://www.rmzxb.com.cn/c/2017-03-10/1402092.shtml

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