Profile:
Zhou Changyou, Han ethnicity and a member of the Communist Party of China, serves as a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress.
He holds the positions of secretary and director within the Maiziyuan Village CPC Party branch, located in Niujiaoba Town, Lengshuitan District, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province. Zhou is a 2016 cohort student majoring in Law at Hunan Open University. In August 2020, he was honoured with the title of "National Outstanding Migrant Worker." Under his guidance, the CPC Party branch of Maiziyuan Village was recognised as a "National Advanced Collective for Poverty Alleviation" in February 2020".
Maiziyuan was once classified as a provincial-level impoverished village. In 2015, Zhou Changyou took on the roles of village Party branch secretary and village director. He proactively sought social funds to enhance rural infrastructure, transferred idle land in the village, established an agricultural company, and successfully led Maiziyuan Village to be removed from the list of impoverished villages.
Oil-tea camellia, a unique woody, oleiferous plant species in China, boasts the distinct advantage and development potential of not competing with farmland or food resources. It represents a promising industry for securing China's oilseed supply. "The fruiting period of oil-tea camellia can span 80-100 years. Once planted, it offers long-term benefits. Cultivating oil-tea camellia is an effective way to boost economic development, enhance farmers' incomes, and foster a healthy ecological system," Zhou Changyou explained. He further emphasised that our country should step up support for the oil-tea camellia industry to ensure national food and oil security.
Nearly half of China's oil-tea camellia production comes from Hunan, which leads the country in terms of its oil-tea camellia planting area, output value, and production volume. Among the nation's 200 key counties for oil-tea camellia production, 63 are in Hunan, with Yongzhou alone boasting 10. Recognised as one of the national oil-tea camellia demonstration cities, Yongzhou's oil-tea camellia plantation spans over 3.5 million mu. The city is home to 301 oil-tea camellia processing enterprises, boasting an annual processing capacity of 150,000 tonnes, the highest in the country.
Therefore, Zhou Changyou recommends that we fully leverage the significant role of the oil-tea camellia industry in boosting farmers' income, solidifying the achievements in poverty alleviation, and advancing rural revitalisation. We should initiate the "National Oil-Tea Camellia Industry Development Demonstration Project," promote the establishment of high-standard oil-tea camellia industry chain pilot demonstration bases; further enhance support for the development of the oil-tea camellia industry by providing comprehensive industry chain subsidies; strengthen policy support, technology research and development, industrial chain upgrades, and other assurances, and continually refine the branding of "China Oil-Tea Camellia, Hunan Oil-Tea Camellia."
Compiled by OUC News Network from China Organisation and Personnel News, Yongzhou Daily, VOC