The Tide of China-Africa Agricultural Cooperation

China and Africa have always maintained friendly relations, and agricultural issues are a common concern between China and Africa.On May 31, 2022, the Forum on China-Africa Tropical Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation was held in China. The meeting was attended by representatives from China, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Liberia, Cameroon and the United Nations World Food Program. The meeting focused on tropical agricultural science and technology and the needs of tropical agricultural development, exchanging and discussing tropical crop industries such as cassava, corn, oil palm and cocoa.

Africa’s economy is weak and food self-sufficiency is a problem for all countries. In response to this problem, China and Africa have been working together for decades. Relevant sources of Chinese tropical agricultural science introduced that, at present, the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences has signed cooperation agreements with 11 African countries to establish cooperative relations.

China has established an agricultural technology demonstration center in Congo, and has demonstrated and promoted a large number of new agricultural equipment and technologies for Africa. Agricultural technology training courses have been held in Africa, training more than 1,000 agricultural technicians for 40 African countries; receiving 20 young people from Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Sudan and other countries to China for medium and long-term exchange visits and further studies.

The agricultural mechanized farm called WARA, located in Nigeria, was built with Chinese investment in 2006.

In recent years, Chinese agricultural machinery has been selling well in the West African country of Senegal. Senegal’s 60% agricultural population, arable land area of about 4 million hectares, mainly growing rice, corn, peanuts, cotton and other crops.

Due to the serious lag in the development of agricultural machinery industry in Senegal, the low degree of mechanization and insufficient sowing area have seriously affected the yield of corn and other crops. In response to the problem, Chinese-funded Senegal First Machinery and Equipment Co., Ltd. established its machinery factory in the city of Thies to further help the development of local agriculture, transform the mode of agricultural production in Senegal and make greater contribution to the mechanization of Senegalese agriculture.