GUANGZHOU: Citizens in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region will be able to get access to fresher agricultural products from Southwest China's Guizhou province at a more favorable price thanks to the increasingly close cooperation between Guizhou and Guangdong.

"The expressway connecting Guiyang, provincial capital of Guizhou, and Guangzhou is under construction, while the express railway will soon begin construction," said Wu Chengbin, deputy director of the provincial agriculture department of Guizhou, in Guangzhou last week. "The expressway will shorten the journey to seven hours from the present 15; and the express railway, five hours from the present 20," he added.

He said the upcoming farm produce fair and farm produce processing industry expo will be hosted by Guizhou from September 5 to 7 in Guiyang. It primarily targets business people in the PRD region, including Hong Kong and Macao.

"Guizhou expects the fair and expo to help promote the province's resources and advantages for agriculture and seek to forge more cooperative ties with potential investors who are interested in the region's agricultural project," he explained.

He cited the area's rich variety of farm produce, uniqueness of its natural resources, climate and industrial structure as its agricultural advantages over the PRD region.

And he counted poultry and related products, tea, vegetables, potatoes, fruits and traditional Chinese medicines as some of Guizhou's products that people in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao should enjoy more.

He also encouraged business people in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to involve themselves more in the processing industry of such products and make the best of the area's bountiful resources and favorable policies.

(HK Edition 09/01/2008 page2)