URUMQI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has dispatched more than 8,000 scientific and technical professionals to 87 counties, cities and districts in a bid to help with the region's poverty alleviation work, according to the regional department of science and technology Wednesday.

So far, these scientific and technical professionals have popularized 1,824 new technologies and introduced 1,925 new varieties in Xinjiang. Of the group, 553 took the lead in setting up agricultural enterprises, economic cooperation organizations and professional associations.

Nearly 460,000 farmer households directly participated in programs launched by the professionals, and 340,000 of them have seen income growth. The professionals have handed out 1.3 million copies of technical materials and assisted with the employment of 109,000 people.

Xinjiang launched the pilot of sending scientific and technical professionals in 2002. It began to popularize the system across the region in 2007.

The regional department of science and technology said it will send scientific and technical professionals to all the 35 impoverished counties of the region in the future while encouraging more agricultural science and technology professionals to work in grassroots positions.