Foreign and Military Affairs

Afghans eager to learn from China in agriculture

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-24 16:01

KABUL - "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In Afghanistan, outdated cultivation is common and farmers are largely relying on ancient agricultural tools and equipment such as ox, horses and donkey to plough their farmlands.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.