Agriculture highlight in China-Sudan cooperation

The Promotion for Chinese Agricultural Investment in Sudan and the 2nd Session of the Executive Committee on China-Sudan Agricultural Cooperation both concluded on Nov. 23 in Beijing.

The meeting primarily aimed to further promote the pragmatic cooperation in agriculture between China and Sudan, map out the second Three-Year Action Plan for China-Sudan Agricultural Cooperation (2013-2015), and push forward the construction of the China-Sudan Agricultural Cooperation Development Zone.

"With efforts from both China and Sudan, I believe agricultural cooperation will become yet another highlight, after the achieved successes in oil cooperation," Zhou Xin, the representative from Shandong Foreign Economic and Technical Cooperation Group Co., Ltd., said at the Promotion.

He shared the company's experience in doing agriculture-related business in Sudan. He suggested the companies maintain close relations with the related departments of China's embassy to Sudan.

"This way, the companies can have in mind both countries' policies in order to avoid unnecessary trouble," he said. "And the project should cater to the local needs. Companies should choose the projects with high technology content." He suggested for companies interested in carrying out business in Sudan, to make an overall analysis and study.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun has pointed out that agriculture in China and Sudan are highly complementary.

"China and Sudan, both developing countries, are facing many similar tasks and challenges, and share broad common interests. Both sides should maintain close cooperation in a bid to achieve win-win development," he said.

During the second session, the two sides signed the Meeting Minutes, the MOU on China-Sudan Agricultural Development Zone and the Three-Year Action Plan (2013-2015).

China's Minster of Agriculture Han Changfu met with Sudan delegations led by Dr. Abdelhalim Ismail Elmotafi Mohamed, Sudan's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, after the ceremony.

"In recent years, China and Sudan have established widespread agricultural cooperation," Han said. "And there has been marked progress. In the future, both sides will further agricultural cooperation in the areas through technological exchanges, human resource training, agricultural investment and agricultural technique demonstration projects."

Over 20 delegates from Sudan attended the ceremony, including Dr. Abdelhalim Ismail Elmotafi Mohamed, Sudan's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Dr. Faysal Hassan Ibrahim Ali, Sudan's Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, and Mr. Mirghani Mohamed Salih, the Sudan Ambassador to China.