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E-commerce in Lushi county sets to step up

The development of e-commerce in Sanmenxia's Lushi county, Henan province, looks set for a big progress in the upcoming few years, according to a local official.

The official's view is based on a survey showing that as of Dec 18 the county had 800 online shops and more than 50 enterprises and cooperatives related to e-commerce, of which 35 have already opened physical stores. Meanwhile, the turnover of local e-commerce industry has risen to 200 million yuan ($30.86 million), a big increase compared to a year ago.

Under the guidance of the national Internet Plus strategy, Lushi was included in the second group of national rural demonstration sites for e-commerce business in July, the only county in Sanmenxia to be granted that status.

In addition to some preferential policies from the central government, the official attributed Lushi's progress in e-commerce industry to the measures the county has adopted.

The local government in Lushi has set a series of policies to attract more e-commerce enterprises to the county, including fast-track approvals, subsidies, tax relief and priority access to financial aid. With the establishment of an e-commerce demonstration zone in the west of the county, the local government also provides housing allowances and Internet subsidies for the first 10 enterprises in the zone.

In line with Taobao's (a Chinese online marketplace) move to implement rural online business, the county has deployed an online network for 110 local underdeveloped villages. Agricultural enterprises, cooperatives and family farms are prioritized to receive Internet access.

The local government has attached great importance to e-commerce training for villagers, introducing trainers from outside the county to give lectures to locals. By the end of Dec 18, the county had organized 16 training sessions for more than 3,200 people.

"We will spare no efforts to create a comprehensive e-commerce demonstration site in Lushi county and will speed up the pace of e-commerce development in the county," said an official of the e-commerce office in the county's government. He also expressed confidence that the economic transformation toward e-commerce industry will be the main source of growth in Lushi.