Farm materials getting through for spring plowing

Despite his village of Gejia being placed in closed-loop management because of COVID-19, local farmer Lyu Tiansheng has already received more than half of the materials he requires for the coming spring plowing season.

The residents of the village, in Changchun, Jilin province, rely on revenue from agriculture.

"The remaining materials will be sent to my home before April 20 when we will start plowing the land," said the 52-year-old. "With transit permits issued by the local government, logistics vehicles for agricultural supplies are allowed to enter the village to ensure farming work can get underway on time."

He added that all drivers are also operating under closed-loop management for epidemic prevention.

Meanwhile, Jilin is making every effort to not let the current epidemic situation result in any rural household slipping back into poverty.

"Starting early March, the provincial rural vitalization bureau coordinated support from the departments of agriculture, finance and human resources, and promoted a series of measures on consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation in the face of COVID-19," He Jingdong, deputy director of the bureau, said at a news conference last Friday.

Local governments will strengthen the dynamic monitoring of those who are facing the risk of a recurrence of poverty and provide timely assistance with simplified procedures, he said.

Loan repayment terms will be extended for those who are unable to repay their debts during the period, and green credit channels will be opened for those who apply for loans for production.

The measures encourage governments at all levels to increase temporary epidemic prevention and control jobs, and give priority to those in families who have only just shaken off poverty and other vulnerable people.

Last year, Lyu planted corn on his 5.5 hectares of farmland that earned him around 30,000 yuan ($4,700), most of which was spent on medical treatment for his 52-year-old wife, who is incapacitated after having a stroke.

Lyu and his family have spent around 400,000 yuan for treatment for his wife since she had the stroke in 2018, and so far her condition has not improved.

At the beginning of 2019, Lyu's family was registered as poverty-stricken by the local government.

"In July 2020, I got two temporary jobs in the village, including as a supervisory administrator for epidemic prevention and control as well as a cleaner, bringing me an annual salary of 13,600 yuan," he said. "Furthermore, district government officials helped us get medical insurance and government subsidies, helping reduce the family's burden."

The family was officially removed from the list of poverty-stricken families in June 2021.

Of the 233 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases that Jilin reported on Tuesday, 173 were found in Changchun, 55 in the city of Jilin and five in Baicheng.

Of the 852 newly reported asymptomatic carriers, 801 were identified in Changchun, 43 in the city of Jilin, six in Baicheng and one each in Liaoyuan and Meihekou.