China's far western Xinjiang region will earmark 50 billion yuan (7.7 billion U.S. dollars) for poverty alleviation in the next five years, a local official said Monday.
Zhao Guoming, head of the regional poverty relief office, said 60 percent of the fund will be used on supporting distinctive industries and the rest on improving housing conditions in rural areas.
A total of 35 billion yuan, or 70 percent of the poverty alleviation fund, will go to the cities of Kashgar and Hotan and autonomous prefecture of Kizilsu Kyrgyz in southern Xinjiang, Zhao said.
The regional government aimed to help the per capita annual net income of farmers and herdsmen in poverty-stricken regions to grow at higher than nationwide average rate to 5,000 yuan in 2015, the official said.
He added that 10 billion yuan is from the central and regional governments, 30 billion yuan from various aid and 10 billion yuan from farmers and herdsmen themselves.