Villagers pick tea leaves in Jiaona town in Wangmo county, Guizhou province on April 12. The town, known for its thin, sandy soil, is suitable for tea-growing. The tea industry has helped eliminate poverty for all residents in the county. [Photo/qxnrb.com]

Guizhou province announced on Nov 23 that its last nine poor counties had officially eliminated poverty.

Among them are Qinglong county and Wangmo county in Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture.

The removal of the two counties from the national list of impoverished counties means that all 11 counties which Ningbo is paired with in both Qianxinan and Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture in Jilin province under the east-west cooperation in poverty relief program launched by the central government have shed poverty.

As of Nov 20, Ningbo has allocated 69 million yuan ($10 million) in funds to Qinglong and Wangmo respectively, benefiting a total of 42,929 impoverished residents in the two counties.

A black tea processing plant in Qinglong funded by Ningbo's Ninghai county has increased the income of 4,140 poor residents. Ninghai has also built a shrimp breeding base in the county with an investment of five million yuan.

In Wangmo, Ningbo allocated 42.8 million yuan to bolster local employment and industrial development, accounting for about 60 percent of the total poverty relief fund from the city, while the rest was used to help local poverty-stricken residents relocate and construct education and medical care facilities.

In addition, nine Ningbo enterprises invested a total of 367 million yuan into the county this year, benefiting 5,019 people.