CIDCA chairman surveys China-Pacific Island Countries Juncao Technology Demonstration Center

On Feb 3, 2024, Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), surveyed the Fiji-based China-Pacific Island Countries Juncao Technology Demonstration Center during a visit to the country.

Luo spoke highly of the center's contributions in promoting the China-Fiji friendly cooperation and the application of Juncao technology in the region and helping lift local people out of poverty. Juncao is not only a typical "small yet smart" people's livelihoods project in China's foreign assistance, but also a green product with zero pollution, zero emissions and zero waste, he said. The CIDCA will continue supporting the center to expand its influence in the South Pacific region, Luo added, noting that the center is operating on a big scale and with positive effect, despite its young age.

According to the head of the center, significant progress has been made since the center's establishment a year ago, with the facility having expanded and its equipment upgraded. The center, with seven resident experts from China, the country's largest overseas Juncao foreign assistance team, has hosted multiple training sessions that are open to the whole South Pacific region.

The survey team looked in detail at all the links of Juncao production at the center and worked onsite to solve some practical difficulties encountered by the center.

Juncao technology landed in Fiji 15 years ago. In March 2023, with the support from the CIDCA, the center was established in Fiji, with experts from the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University of China stationed for operation. Besides Juncao demonstration planting and mushroom production and promotion, the center is also responsible for promoting Juncao technology to other island countries in the region. With an annual output of one million bags of fungi of various types, the center has so far held 14 training courses for more than 800 technical personnel for South Pacific island countries, attracting over 600 farmers to the business. High-level officials of Fiji, such as the country's prime minister and deputy prime minister, as well as government officials and technicians from neighboring countries such as Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Australia have also paid visits to the center.