China-CELAC agri-cooperation fruitful

Chinese President Xi Jinping has once again stressed the importance of agriculture and food cooperation in his speech delivered at the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Forum on Tuesday.

At the third China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Ministerial Forum on Agriculture, held in Weifang, Shandong province in July 2024, the participants realized the need to further strengthen food security and promote sustainable agricultural development.

The forum, which I attended as Grenada's minister for social and community development, housing and gender affairs, also decided to organize tours and demonstrations so the participants could get a thorough idea of how farming is done in China. While the tours exposed participants to the varieties of crops grown in Weifang, the demonstrations enhanced the knowledge of the participants from the Global South on different agricultural practices.

Since Grenada's is mainly an agricultural economy, the country, along with other Global South nations, benefits from overall China-CELAC cooperation on sustainability and innovation of agricultural practices. China is making concerted efforts, including mechanizing agriculture and introducing new crop varieties, to promote low-carbon and eco-friendly practices. In fact, many Global South countries are already benefiting by adopting a new approach to development after learning from China's policy of successfully eradicating absolute poverty.

China continues to help countries of the Global South in alleviating poverty and realizing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger. The Government Information Services in March said that Grenada's Ministry of Agriculture received a new consignment of machinery and farm equipment which farmers could use to improve their agricultural practices and increase their per-hectare yield.

By ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, the agriculture sector of Grenada can focus on improving its efficiency and increasing its per-hectare crop yield. In turn, higher food production will strengthen the fight against poverty and help realize SDGs 1 and 2.

It is evident that cooperation between China and the CELAC countries has increased trade and economic exchanges between the two sides. As the Grenada government continues to take measures to reduce poverty by better safeguarding food security, Grenadians view China as a very important partner, which provides technical assistance, farm machinery and financial inputs to improve agricultural practices in Grenada.

In Grenada, there is a sense of renewed commitment on the part of local farmers, because the country's government is now able to extend more help to them thanks to Chinese investment and aid. Since poverty alleviation is a top priority for the government and people of Grenada, the country has adopted universal poverty reduction and social protection policies that are related to the unique experiences of the people. However, food security remains a challenge, although we hope to further improve the situation by leveraging Chinese aid and assistance aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture development.

We should keep in mind, though, that agricultural production is seasonal. As the Food and Agriculture Organization says, after a short harvest period, products are often unstable, difficult to sell. As a result, more cold storage facilities are being built in major production areas.

By building more cold storage facilities, Global South countries will not only be able to prevent wastage of food and thus better safeguard food security and promote sustainable agriculture but also strengthen their fight against poverty.

The trade agreements between China and CELAC countries are beneficial to both sides because their economies are complementary, offering high-quality agricultural products such as soybean, corn, beef, cherries, avocados, blueberries and wine to China, and getting superior consumer products and technologies from China. This relationship is a win-win, and the only thing it will cost is food insecurity.

There is much experience to be learned from China's approach to food security and sustainable agricultural development, not to mention the country's successful eradication of absolute poverty. Countries of the Global South do have a great opportunity to benefit from the practices of China and ensure food security.

The author is minister for social and community development, housing and gender affairs of Grenada.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.