China helps Africa build agricultural industrial chains

China and Africa have achieved fruitful results in the agricultural sector in the past 10 years, representatives from embassies in China, Chinese experts and enterprises said on Friday at an event focusing on China-Africa agricultural cooperation. They also pointed out that Africa needs to build systematic, industrialized supply chains to boost agriculture, a field in which Chinese departments and enterprises can exchange experiences and offer help.

Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, especially in the past decade, China-Africa agricultural cooperation has yielded fruitful results and delivered tangible benefits to the African people, Liu Yuxi, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs, said on Friday when addressing the China-Africa Harvest Night.

The event was part of a series of activities titled “China-Africa agricultural cooperation in the New Era,” and was held together with a salon titled Food Security in Africa and China-Africa Agricultural Cooperation also on Friday.

Fruitful results have been achieved in Africa through collaboration with Chinese institutions and enterprises.

For instance, the millet processing factory built by Zhongdi Overseas Agricultural Development Co in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, has helped increase market demand for millet, thus motivating farmers to grow more plants, Zhao Hanqing, deputy general manager of the enterprise, told the Global Times on Friday at the sideline of the harvest night event.

“We built a factory to process millet into cookies, doughnuts, and other food. With the processing plant, we can collect millet from local farmers, which in turn can promote upstream cultivation,” said Zhao.

“The problem for Africa’s agriculture is not how to feed itself. Links between production and markets are often insufficient in Africa. Therefore, African farmers lack motivation to increase their output,” said Tang Lixia, professor and deputy Dean of College of International Development and Global Agriculture at China Agricultural University.