AsiaNet 0200199

YANGLING, China, Jun. 7, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--Agriculture holds significant importance in the regional economic cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The collaborative efforts in the Belt and Road Initiative have been successfully synchronized with the development strategies of SCO member countries, creating a crucial platform for the implementation of both bilateral and multilateral agricultural cooperation.

China and other member states of the SCO have fostered strong ties in agricultural investment, trade, science, and technology. These countries have worked towards enhancing policy dialogue and communication, facilitating talent exchange and training, and fostering collaborative innovation in the field of science and technology. Furthermore, they have jointly established "demonstration fields" for agricultural cooperation, aiming to tap into the untapped potential of sustainable development.

At the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on June 14, 2019, China put forward a proposal to establish an SCO agricultural demonstration base in the northwestern province of Shaanxi. The objective of this initiative is to enhance collaboration with SCO member states in the realm of modern agriculture.

Since its inception, the Yangling Agriculture High-Tech Industrial Demonstration Zone has emerged as a flagship project for agricultural technology cooperation within the SCO. It has also played a crucial role in advancing agricultural science and technology under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Over the past five years, the demonstration zone has utilized the establishment of the base as a platform to proactively expand agricultural openness to the international community. As a result, it has successfully established eight agricultural science and technology demonstration parks in countries such as Kazakhstan. Additionally, it has dispatched 73 batches of over 190 expert teams to provide foreign aid guidance, facilitating the dissemination of more than 100 crop varieties and accompanying cultivation techniques. These efforts have benefited over 2 million hectares of land in overseas countries.

In Kazakhstan, China's Northwest A&F University and North Kazakhstan State University have collaborated to conduct quality assessments of agricultural products in the BRI joint laboratory for crop green production. Through this partnership, outstanding varieties will be identified and utilized as planting materials within the China-Kazakhstan Agricultural Science and Technology Demonstration Park.

In Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the China-Uzbekistan Water-Saving Agriculture Demonstration Park has implemented intelligent water-fertilizer integrated irrigation equipment powered by solar energy. This advanced technology not only conserves electricity, water, and fertilizer but also enhances local cotton production by over 30% while reducing water usage by 50%. The agricultural technology expertise of Yangling has garnered significant recognition from member states within the SCO.

In May this year, the SCO Modern Agriculture Exchange Center in Yangling held the 38th foreign aid training on dry farming agricultural technology, where 54 trainees from 13 countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Pakistan, received 14 days of agricultural technology training. The program included theoretical discussions, field visits, and case discussions, enabling the trainees to gain insights into China's experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalization.

To date, Yangling has successfully conducted 56 foreign aid training programs for member states of the SCO as well as other developing countries. These programs have benefited over 2,000 trainees in total.

Additionally, significant exchange activities such as the SCO Modern Agriculture Development Roundtable and the Forum of Heads of Agricultural Universities of the SCO countries have been organized to facilitate important discussions and collaboration in the field of agriculture.

So far, the demonstration zone has organized 35 multilateral institutional exchange activities, creating an extensive platform for cooperation in diverse agricultural sectors. It has emerged as a significant facilitator in promoting international trade and enhancing production capacity cooperation in agriculture-related domains among SCO nations.

Source: Yangling Agriculture High-Tech Industrial Demonstration Zone