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Chinese firm to grow rice in Tanzania: company
Beijing (AFP) May 9, 2008 A Chinese seed company is planning to grow rice in Tanzania as China seeks new ways to cope with soaring global grain prices and shrinking domestic farmland, the company and state media said Friday. The Chongqing Seed Corp has enclosed an area of 300 hectares (740 acres) in the central African country and will start growing rice there from next year, the China Daily reported. The company, located in the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing, planned to grow and process rice in Tanzania and then sell part of it in China. "We will probably send around 10 technicians and managers there," an executive with a Tanzania project team affiliated to the seed firm told AFP. "We are certainly open to any cooperation or investment opportunities there that may emerge from the aid program," he said, declining to be named. He said the program was part of a 143-million-dollar project in Tanzania announced earlier this year by Chongqing firms following up on an aid commitment made by China in 2006. China agreed at a summit with African countries in November 2006 to set up 10 agricultural zones in Africa. The number was expanded to 14 later, according to previous reports. The drive to explore foreign land to help feed China's 1.3 billion population now looks even more pressing as global grain prices jumped by 60 percent in the first quarter. Official data showed that the amount of arable land fell by 40,700 hectares (100,500 acres) to 121.73 million hectares last year, getting closer to the "critical" level of 120 million hectares Beijing has vowed to retain. The agricultural ministry earlier said that China had built up its agricultural technology know-how and would strengthen the cooperation with other countries in food and agriculture. "We have gained enough expertise to spread out," Ni Hongxing, a ministry official, was quoted by state media as saying. Related Links Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
China aims to keep grain output above 500 mln tonnes in 2008: report
Beijing (AFP) May 8, 2008China has vowed to keep grain output above 500 million tonnes in 2008 as the world's largest producer and consumer of rice struggles to cope with rising global grain prices, state media said Thursday. |
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