Asian countries call for cooperation in agriculture

cctv.com 01-10-2005 17:46

Delegates from 20 member countries of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue mechanism met in Beijing today to exchange ideas on agricultural policies, and explore opportunities to boost the development of the Asian agriculture industry.

The seminar is one of the follow-up activities of the Workshop for Asia Cooperation Dialogue held in China last year. The 25-member Asia Cooperation Dialogue was first initiated in 2000 to promote Asia-wide cooperation. Chinese delegates say such cooperation is crucial.

Lu Xiaoping, deputy director of Ministry of Agriculture, said: "The population of Asia accounts for one half of the world's total population. This has put great pressure on agriculture and food security in the region. Meanwhile, Asian countries are rich in agricultural resources and are very much complementary in terms of agricultural production and trade. Cooperation between Asian countries is very important."

China has been cooperating extensively with other Asian countries in the field of agriculture, and mutual benefits have already surfaced. One example is the zero tariff agreement on fruits and vegetables between China and Thailand in October 2003. In the first nine months of last year, China exported 40 million US dollars of fruit to Thailand, while Thailand's exports to China topped 300 million US dollars. Both figures are more than double the previous ones.

Pinit Korsieporn, deputy secretary general of Office of Agricultural Economics of Thailand, said: "Our trade has been expanded for the benefits of both countries and of course for the benefits of the farmers of both countries. We think our trade with China is very bright and good. We hope this expanded trade will help our farmers to produce more."

In other fields, China has also been promoting its agricultural technology with the Philippines. Specific projects include the development of hybrid-rice farms in the Philippines, and the establishment of joint venture factories to produce agricultural mechanisms.

Delegates at the seminar also paid their respects to the victims of the tsunami disaster. They emphasized the urgency of establishing an early warning system against natural disasters. Agriculture was one of the most badly damaged sectors.

Editor:Xiang Jing  Source:CCTV.com