RICE REVOLUTION: Chinese agricultural scientists point out the finer points of rice growing to African farmers (COURTESY OF SHI JINGUI)

(COURTESY OF SHI JINGUI)

While the world goes on at length about China's cooperation with African countries in the energy and resource sectors, vigorous efforts are being made to boost collaboration in other fields, most notably agriculture. One prime example is the China-Africa Agricultural Cooperation Forum held in Beijing August 11-12.

"Cooperation between China and African countries covers various areas. No doubt, agricultural cooperation is one of the most important areas," Li Jinjun, Vice Minister of International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), the country's ruling party, told ChinAfrica.

The forum was originally scheduled to be held in Changchun, capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province, one of China's major grain producers. However, owing to serious flooding in that area, the forum was moved to Beijing.

Organized by IDCPC and the Ministry of Agriculture of China, the forum gathered about 400 representatives from political parties, government departments and enterprises from China and Africa.

"We are trying to expand our channels of cooperating with African countries in the agriculture sector. Through holding the forum, we hope to strengthen agricultural cooperation through interactions between the CPC and ruling parties of African countries," said Li, adding that a ruling party usually plays a big role in a country's development.

The Beijing Declaration of China-Africa Agricultural Cooperation Forum was adopted after the forum.

"China has a big population, but less tillable land. China can feed its people. Then, in Africa we have large tracts of land and less population, but we suffer food deficiency. So I think that in itself is a very interesting scenario," said Kalonzo Musyoka, Vice President of Kenya, in an exclusive interview with ChinAfrica (see full interview page 20). "Now that means we have to learn a lesson from China."