Chinese to boost agriculture in Mozambique
A Chinese centre for research and transfer of agricultural technology is set to open in Mozambique in early 2010. The facility will use China's farming expertise to boost the African country's agricultural productivity by improving cultivation methods and training local scientists and farmers.
The 55 million US dollar Chinese Agricultural Technology Research and Transfer Centre is currently under construction close to the capital Maputo. Chinese experts there will introduce maize, rice, vegetables and fruit seeds and test their suitability to the local climate.
China's investment in Mozambique is expected to increase its rice production from 100,000 to 500,000 tonnes a year. It is the first of ten agricultural technology centres Chinese president Hu Jintao has promised to build in Africa.
Source: Panos London
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
