CIDCA official attends 2nd Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture

Upon invitation, Zhang Lihua, deputy director-general of the Second Department of Regional Affairs of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), attended and addressed the 2nd Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture on Nov 14, 2023.

In his address, Zhang noted that agriculture and food security are priority areas of China-Africa cooperation. Adhering to the principles of equality and mutual benefit, diverse forms, practical results and common development, China has played an important role in promoting sustainable agricultural development and food security in Africa by assisting in the construction of agricultural infrastructure, dispatching agricultural experts, providing emergency food assistance and agricultural supplies, and holding workshops, according to Zhang. As of now, China has implemented more than 500 agricultural assistance projects in and dispatched more than 2,000 agricultural technical experts to Africa, and hybrid rice and Juncao have become the "business cards" of China's foreign agricultural assistance, he said.

At the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue held in August, China launched the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization. The CIDCA, as an agency responsible for China's foreign assistance and international development cooperation, is ready to continue to strengthen agricultural cooperation with African countries, deepen synergy with the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the agricultural development strategies of African countries, fully tap the Global Development Project Pool and the Capital Pool to implement more "small yet smart" projects, and strengthen cooperation with international organizations including the United Nations to promote agricultural development in Africa, he added.

Hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Hainan Provincial People's Government, the forum saw the attendance of over 300 representatives from China and African countries, and related international agencies and research institutes.