Afghans eager to learn from China in agriculture
AFGHANISTAN: “As you know, Afghanistan has suffered from over 30
years of war and instability and still we are suffering. The continued
strife and instability has badly damaged all economic sectors including
agriculture,” an Afghan government official Samiullah Sami told Xinhua.
Serving as deputy to Research Institute on Agriculture and Livestock
and leading a 20-member team to China for training, Sami on Monday
stressed that war-ravaged Afghanistan needs to learn from China and
utilize China’s experiences in rebuilding its economy.
“The objective of our journey to China is to attend a training
program to increase our ability particularly in the field of agriculture
in order to help our farmers and improve our economy through agriculture
and cultivating new crops,” Sami said.
As part of contribution to the rebuilding process of the war-
battered country, China in addition to building roads, hospital and
investing in mine industry has also provided scholarship to Afghan
students and short-term training to government employees.
This is the first time that an Afghan team of government employees in
the agriculture sector has been sent to China for training, which will
leave on Wednesday.
A 20-member team of officials from Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation
and livestock is to leave for China, team leader Samiullah Sami told
Xinhua on May 10.
Previously this year, a 20-member team from Ministry of
Telecommunication and Information Technology left for China on April 6.
So far this year, the Chinese government has provided four vocational
training programs to Afghan officials and experts in the fields of
communication, agriculture, counternarcotics and health.
Such training courses by China would enhance friendship between the
two countries, Sami said.
“We actually hail such training program that is very practical, we
would listen to Chinese agriculture experts and professors there and we
could see how they improve their farmlands, gardens and research centers
and we would use their experience at home to improve our living
conditions,” he added.
In Afghanistan, outdated cultivation is common and farmers are
largely relying on ancient agricultural tools and equipment such as ox,
horses and donkey to plough their farmlands.
“China is very good at producing tea, medicinal plants and improved
seeds,” Sami said.
“China and Afghanistan are friendly countries. We sincerely hope that
all of you could return home with experience and knowledge in
agriculture to make contributions to the welfare of Afghans,” said
Counsellor Wu Gangchen, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the
Chinese Embassy to Afghanistan in talks with the team on May 10.
In the land-locked Afghanistan, more than 80 percent of the
population relies on agricultural products. About 12 percent of the land
is arable and less than six percent is cultivated, according to local
media.
“We have to move now to change Afghanistan’s agriculture to a highly
productive, efficient, mechanized and modern engine of economic growth,”
Sami said optimistically.
KABUL, Wednesday, Xinhua
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