The Zhangjiagang-based Jiangsu Yonggang Group launches partner assistance programs with three villages in Xuyi county, contributing to the county's poverty alleviation campaign. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

The Zhangjiagang-based Jiangsu Yonggang Group, a comprehensive steel company covering sintering steel rolling and processing products, signed a cooperation framework agreement with Zonggang village in Xuyi county, East China's Jiangsu province on July 31, aiming to promote the high-quality development of the village's crayfish farming industry.

According to the agreement, Yonggang Group will invest 30 million yuan ($4.34 million) to help the village build a trade center for crayfish, which is expected to cover a total area of 22,600 square meters. The center is projected to generate an annual sales value of 60 million yuan after it begins operation, as well as offer crayfish related services like production, processing, sales, and storage.

In recent years, Yonggang Group has played an active role in the county's poverty alleviation campaign, launching partner assistance programs with three villages in Xuyi county, said Wu Yi, Party secretary of Yonggang Group.

Supported by the group, land transfer has been widely used and a specialized farming cooperative was established in the county as new methods to promote large-scale farming. A new sales model offering online and offline services was launched to promote the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, added Wu.

Wu noted that all these measures have helped lift local villagers out of poverty, while offering paths to prosperity.