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African agriculture thrives with Chinese technology, market access(Xinhua) 10:48, June 19, 2024
* In recent years, agricultural cooperation between China and Africa has flourished under the frameworks of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative.
* From local fields to global e-commerce platforms, China's efforts have significantly boosted African agricultural productivity and modernization through technical assistance, industry chain development, and market access.
* Platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and the African Goods Online Shopping Festival have become crucial showcases for African agricultural products, enhancing their international visibility.
NAIROBI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- At the Nigerian Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center near Abuja, the capital of the West African country, Chinese agricultural experts have a daily routine of examining newly harvested rice.
As a result of years of dedicated work, experts from the Chinese company Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd. (GAWAL) have developed a high-yield rice seed tailored to local conditions, which outperforms native varieties by over 20 percent. This seed, endorsed by Nigerian agricultural authorities, is now planted across two-thirds of the country's states.
Lawal Musa, a farmer from Jigawa State, has been growing this rice for several years. "Rice is vital in Nigeria and every family consumes it. With China's cooperation, Nigeria is on the path to achieving food self-sufficiency," he said, praising the rice for its high productivity and ability to withstand diseases and drought.
GAWAL, a leading seed company in Nigeria, contributed to the government's seed supply program by distributing over 30,000 tons of seeds across more than 30 states. Its effort has significantly boosted the country's rice production by more than 2 million tons.
In recent years, agricultural cooperation between China and Africa has flourished under the frameworks of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative. From local fields to global e-commerce platforms, China's efforts have significantly boosted African agricultural productivity and modernization through technical assistance, industry chain development, and market access.
Local employees display rice seedlings at the Nigerian Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center near Abuja, Nigeria, Sept. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
TRANSFERRING TECHNIQUES TO LOCAL FARMERS
Over the past decade, the Nigerian Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center has stood out among the 24 centers established by China across Africa. These centers are pivotal in advancing agricultural technology, successfully transferring over 300 sophisticated agricultural techniques to local farmers.
The impact of these initiatives is substantial, boosting crop yields by 30 percent and positively affecting over 1 million smallholder farmers throughout Africa.
With concerted efforts, Chinese agricultural specialists have remarkably improved the yield and quality of staple crops such as rice, cassava and soybeans. Moreover, they have introduced an array of new fruit, vegetable, and bean varieties. These contributions have not only enriched the diversity of African diets but also forged fresh pathways for the region's agricultural progress.
In Kigali, Rwanda, Leonidas Mushimiyimana operates the region's largest mushroom cultivation workshop, producing up to 30,000 mushroom tubes monthly and 600 kilograms of fresh mushrooms weekly.
Juncao is a hybrid grass and an important multifunctional agricultural resource developed and used for mushroom farming in China.
After learning the Juncao cultivation technology, Mushimiyimana established the workshop, employing dozens of people. He plans to expand his business to produce dried mushroom products for international markets, fostering communal prosperity.
Juncao technology now benefits over 4,000 Rwandan farmers, creating more than 30,000 jobs along the agricultural value chain.
Media (R) from Rwanda learns about Juncao from a Chinese student in the national engineering research center of Juncao technology at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Eric Rokasse Kamo, former minister of agriculture and rural development of the Central African Republic, lauds the practicality of Juncao technology, highlighting its role in job creation and income enhancement for the African people.
ENHANCING VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS
China-Africa agricultural cooperation extends beyond the fields, encompassing the entire industrial chain to enhance the processing capacity and added value of African agricultural products, thereby increasing farmers' incomes.
