African agricultural officials visit China's countryside

Agricultural officials and representatives from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique visit the greenhouses in Liuqiao village, Heliu town of Anhui province, June 3, 2016. [Photo by Yan Dongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

A delegation of agricultural officials and representatives from Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique went on a countryside field trip in east China's Anhui province in early June.

Touring the greenhouses, pig farms, research centers and local companies, the delegation consisted of more than 10 African officials and representatives. They're looking forward to learning developing experience from China, which they can apply accordingly back in their countries, as well as finding cooperation opportunities with Chinese companies.

"The governance structures and the infrastructures are what we find really helpful with the agricultural development but hard to apply in our countries," said Abdoulaye Balde, representative and country director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Mozambique.

It's Balde's first trip to China. He said he was surprised to see how villages and farmlands were well organized, not only by the farmers themselves, but also with help from the local government and companies, who provide financial, mechanical and technical support for the farmers to improve both the land use capacity and the land production.

Olegario Banze, national director of rural development with the Ministry of Land and Rural Development in Mozambique, expressed similar thoughts.

"From China's experience, I see a lot our government should process to take its role in agricultural development," said Banze, adding that practices such as transferring land into farming soil, teaching farmers how to grow crops more efficiently, putting subsistence farming people into business and constructing facilities were all part of efforts that African governments should make.

"However, it's too long a way to go. But we can start with the simple cooperation with Chinese companies, and small-scale mechanization," Banze said.

Banze welcomed Chinese companies to come to Mozambique.

"We have the land and labor, and we long for Chinese companies to bring over the techniques and investments, as well as efforts from Chinese government," he said.