Xinhua | 11 November 2018
China's major agricultural province shares wisdom with B&R countries
"With just a few clicks of the mouse, Chinese farmers can sell their products to places thousands of miles away from their home. That's amazing," said Ismaev Malik, a 39-year-old farmer from Kyrgyzstan, during his visit to an e-commerce company that makes the online sales possible for farmers in Puyang City of central China's Henan Province.
Malik's visit was part of the courses offered by a training school in Puyang which was founded to provide training for local village chiefs. In recent months, the school has joined an assistance program to share Chinese wisdom and knowledge on agriculture with foreign officials and agricultural experts from countries along the Belt and Road.
In addition to Malikhas, a group of nearly 30 trainees from Kyrgyzstan's agriculture sector also attended the course covering topics on farming and processing, the operation of agricultural machinery and etc., lasting until Nov. 13.
Malik was a steelworker before the steel factory he worked with went down in 2012. He was then employed by a Chinese company that has acquired a collapsing local farm and turned it into the region's biggest farm.
After working with the Chinese company, Malik has learned how to raise sheep, cows and chicken. Moreover, the job brings him more than 3,000 yuan (about 430 US dollars) each month, two times of his previous income at the steel factory.
"The corn output of our farm has doubled thanks to the quality seeds, advanced technology and equipment brought by the Chinese company. Now, the farm has nearly 600 employees, helping to relieve the local unemployment pressure," Malik said. "So I want to learn more during my time in China."
"Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country short of arable land; China's irrigation and deep processing technologies will be very helpful," according to Mambetova Zhazgul, an agricultural official from Kyrgyzstan.
The training also organized discussions and meetings for trainees to exchange ideas and seek business opportunities with Chinese enterprises. During a meeting, more than 10 potential agreements have been reached, according to the organizer.
In addition to the courses Malik attended, the training school in Puyang has also provided courses on poverty alleviation and community development for trainees from South Sudan.
In recent years, China has shared its experience and wisdom with more developing countries, especially countries along the Belt and Road. The training programs cover a wide range of fields including plantation, agricultural machinery and the prevention and control of animal diseases.
"The agricultural development not only depends on investment but also requires good management and advanced technology," said Luo Ming who works with the international exchange office of China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. "We expect that our foreign trainees will bring back the experience after learning about the agricultural management in China."
"I am lucky to have a bond with China," said Malik in fluent Chinese who has become an expert of livestock farming. "I am also looking forward to more visits to China and more Chinese investment in Kyrgyzstan."