China helps Madagascar build road for egg producers amid pandemic

Chinese Ambassador to Madagascar Guo Xiaomei and Madagascar Minister of Public Works Jerry Hatrefindrazana inspected a suburban road construction project, also known as the "egg road", in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, on Nov 11, 2021.

Guo said the egg road project, which was built by Chinese experts who overcame difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with support from the Madagascan people, will create good conditions for the development of the local chicken industry.

The road represents another achievement of pragmatic cooperation between the two countries and also a concrete outcome of Chinese aid to Africa pledged at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Both countries should take the opportunity of the upcoming eighth FOCAC ministerial conference at the end of November to deepen cooperation in high-quality projects that benefit people's life and production, Guo said.

Hatrefindrazana thanked the Chinese government and project constructor for the assistance. He said they would take the opportunity of the FOCAC ministerial conference to carry out more cooperation with China in the field of engineering and build high-quality livelihood projects.

Chinese Ambassador to Madagascar Guo Xiaomei (5th L) and Madagascar Minister of Public Works Jerry Hatrefindrazana (2nd R) inspect the construction progress of a bus station.

The egg road is located in the northwest of the suburbs of Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar. It is about 19 kilometers long with two-way two lanes. The towns of Mahisty and Mahazaza, which are connected by the road, are the main egg producing areas in Madagascar, providing 40 percent of the country's eggs.

Previously, the roads in the area were bumpy and muddy, and the commute time was one or two hours, which seriously hampered the transportation of feed and eggs.

As a livelihood project built with aid from China, the road will lower the damage rate of eggs transported on the road to close to zero, and shorten the time for entering and leaving the egg production area to 20 minutes, greatly facilitating the transportation of feed and eggs and the travel of local residents.