Ningxia, Fujian partnership key to balanced development

Healthy and organic food catering to a broader market should be developed, in addition to agricultural products which only fill villagers' stomachs. Large-scale industry clusters incubating domestic brands are also in high demand, Ma said.

Ningxia still lags behind in terms of technology and talent, which are strengths of Fujian province and can be better developed in the nine backbone industries.

In September, the regional government decided to prioritize development in nine fields including goji berries, wine, milk, Tan sheep, clean energy and tourism.

Improvements are expected in areas such as education and medical care, Ma said, adding it's their goal to balance high-quality resources in the region.

Chen Chunping, director of the region's finance bureau, said 11.2 billion yuan will be allocated this year to maintain achievements of poverty alleviation and prevent villagers from backsliding into poverty.

"We will strengthen support to counties that are developing major industries such as goji berries and wine," Chen, also a deputy to the NPC, said in an interview during the ongoing session.

The bureau has subsidized 50 million yuan to help a wine company mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and therefore provided jobs in the winery for 3,000 relocated villagers, he added.