MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

China set eyes on Latam agriculture to promote cooperation and food security

Minister Han Changfu hosted twenty Latam Agriculture ministers at the Beijing forum

China is determined to strongly stimulate agriculture cooperation with Latin America to improve bilateral trade in the field, develop farming technology and improve productivity. This was the main conclusion of the recent China/Latinamerica Agriculture Cooperation Forum held in Beijing which convened over twenty Agriculture ministers from the region with host minister Han Changfu.

“China is determined to promote cooperation and food security, with an emphasis in technological development with Latinamerica” said Minister Han Changfu at the conclusion of the forum which was organized by the Chinese government and the UN Economic Commission for Latinamerica and the Caribbean.

To this effect China has already earmarked 50 million dollars to finance projects in Latinamerica, one of which is to increase and incorporate an additional half a million hectares of farming land in Argentina.

Antonio Prado, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said that there is a raft of complementation opportunities in the agricultural sectors of Latinamerica and China which can help build a strategic trade and technology relationship.

However Prado also underlined the need for a more balanced trade relation between China and the region and to base trade on agricultural innovation while respecting the environment and social inclusion.

“The newly launched Forum of Ministers of Agriculture is a highly relevant mechanism to promote constructive dialogue in agricultural trade and economy as well as agricultural innovation, science and technology”, pointed out Prado.

The creation of the Forum was proposed by former Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao in his message to the region during a visit to ECLAC on 26 June 2012.

Prado was particularly appreciative of the intention to create a food reserve mechanism to tackle emergencies and protect food security. “At ECLAC we are committed to promoting and encouraging the development of relations between the peoples of China and Latin America and the Caribbean”.

He said this commitment is reflected in the Commission's participation in six China-Latin America Business Summits, the first Forum of exchange between Chinese and Latin American think-tanks and in various Chinese and Latin American initiatives on trade, investment and development reviewing the region's ties with China.

The senior official also cited the publication of various studies on the subject in recent years, including the Mandarin version of a special issue of the ECLAC Review, launched in October 2012.

Finally Prado said that if the region successfully reaches shared positions on links with China and East Asia, “it will be making important advances in improving ties with the world's most economically buoyant area but also advancing in its own process of regional integration”.