Key China-Africa agriculture forum takes place in Sanya

The ongoing 2nd China-Africa Agricultural Cooperation Forum opened in Sanya in South China's Hainan province on Nov 14, under the theme of "Join Hands for Sustainable Development and a Closer New-type China-Africa Partnership in Agriculture."

More than 600 participants are holding in-depth discussions at the event – which runs to Nov 16 – on agricultural trade and cooperation in innovation.

China's agriculture and rural affairs minister Tang Renjian told the opening ceremony this year marked the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Over the past decade, China has implemented over 300 advanced and applicable technologies in Africa, including maize intercropping, vegetable cultivation and the rapid propagation of cassava. These technologies are said to have increased crop yields by 30 to 60 percent on average, benefiting over 1 million farmers in African countries, according to Tang.

The African Union Commission's commissioner for agriculture, Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, praised China at the forum.

He said its extensive investments in agriculture over the past 30 years had facilitated economic and social transformation, supporting its remarkable development.

China now plays a leading role in global agricultural modernization and provides opportunities for the African Union to enhance agricultural technology and transform the agricultural value chain, he added.

Hailemariam Desalegn, chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, noted that the continent was a net importer of staple crops and predicted that its population would double by 2050.

As such, the transformation of Africa's food system was urgently needed, Desalegn said, adding that China's innovative agricultural technologies would continue to enhance Africa's food supply.

China's agriculture minister announced that his country would establish the China-Africa Overseas Tropical Agricultural Science and Technology Center, establish the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance and build a number of demonstration and training centers for modern agricultural technology exchanges between China and Africa.

This would encourage more entities to enter Africa, he said. Over the next three years, China plans to train 1,000 agricultural technology and management personnel for Africa. Moreover, it aims to surpass a trade volume of $20 billion in agricultural products between China and Africa within a decade.

Forum guests visit the Sanya Paddy Field National Park. [Photo/WeChat account: HTWSDGY]