Agriculture is an important field of regional economic cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In recent years, the "One Belt, One Road" initiative has been effectively linked with the national development strategy of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, providing an important platform for countries to implement bilateral and multilateral agricultural cooperation. China and other SCO member countries have close exchanges in agricultural investment, trade, science and technology, strengthened policy dialogue and communication, deepened personnel exchange and training, promoted collaborative innovation in science and technology, worked hand in hand to deepen agricultural cooperation "demonstration fields" and continuously released the potential of sustainable development.
Carry out technical cooperation to help food security
The member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have their own endowments of agricultural resources, their own characteristics of agricultural production, their own expertise in agricultural technology and their own characteristics of market demand, so there is great potential and space for strengthening regional agricultural cooperation. In May this year, the Eighth Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held by video. All parties positively evaluated the importance of deepening cooperation in agriculture and food security under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and supported the use of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization agricultural technology exchange training demonstration base to enhance the level of pragmatic cooperation.
In October 2020, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization agricultural technology exchange and training demonstration base was officially unveiled in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, and the agricultural technology exchange and training demonstration base grew into a "model room" for agricultural technology cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In July last year, the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Agricultural Technology Exchange Training Demonstration Base Construction Plan" was promulgated, emphasizing the accurate service for the agricultural modernization, industrialization and sustainable development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries.
Hold important exchange activities such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Roundtable on Modern Agricultural Development and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization National Agricultural University Presidents Forum; Reached more than 10 cooperation intentions with member countries in personnel training and park construction; Agricultural science and technology demonstration parks have been built in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other countries; 56 foreign aid training programs were conducted for Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries and developing countries, with a total of more than 2,000 trainees … … From exchange training demonstration to economic and trade capacity cooperation, Yangling Demonstration Zone actively expands the path of agricultural open cooperation.
Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said that all member countries have vigorously developed cooperation in agricultural science and technology innovation, and jointly ensured regional and global food security by exchanging agricultural technologies and solutions, expanding agricultural trade, improving food production, enhancing the storage and processing capacity of agricultural products, and maintaining the smooth supply chain of industrial chains.
In Wutaiqike, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Sino-Ukrainian water-saving agriculture overseas demonstration park adopts intelligent irrigation equipment driven by solar energy, which has the functions of saving electricity, water and fertilizer, and can increase the local cotton yield by more than 30% and save water by 50%.
In Kazakhstan, Northwest A&F University of China cooperated with North Kazakhstan State University to evaluate the quality of agricultural products in the "Belt and Road" joint laboratory of crop green production, and the selected excellent varieties will be used as sowing materials for the Sino-Kazakhstan agricultural science and technology demonstration park.
In Pakistan, the cultivation of hybrid rice, the popularization of fungus and grass technology, the introduction of China cauliflower seeds, and the planting of pepper … … Pakistan-China agricultural cooperation projects have been continuously promoted. Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif said that agriculture is Pakistan’s economic pillar and an important source of foreign exchange, and the SCO member States have deepened agricultural technology cooperation, bringing new opportunities for Pakistan’s agricultural development.
Sohail Khan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said that the current global food security situation is grim, and strengthening exchanges and cooperation in the field of modern agriculture by all parties will promote the sustained and stable economic and social development of member States.
Build a service platform to promote trade
Natural propolis from Tajikistan, Russian vodka, agricultural products and handicrafts from all over China … … Not long ago, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Exhibition on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development held in Yangling Demonstration Zone, there were a dazzling array of products with national characteristics, and all parties had a strong desire to carry out agricultural trade.
Turabayivi Temulbeko, an expert from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, made a special trip to Yangling to carefully study and compare several varieties of mung beans in China. On this trip, he intends to negotiate the import project of 200,000 tons of mung beans. He said: "China’s agricultural development experience is worth learning from. China is Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner and hopes that the two sides will further strengthen cooperation in the fields of trade, agriculture and cultural tourism. "
In recent years, the trade of agricultural and food products between China and other SCO member countries has been expanding. As of March this year, 699 kinds of food of animal and plant origin in 12 categories have been exported to China by the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. China is committed to building a new platform and opening up new channels to bridge the gap between agricultural trade and investment cooperation among SCO countries.
In September 2022, the first Shanghai Cooperation Organization Agricultural Expo was held in Shaanxi. Rapeseed oil and flour from Kazakhstan, linden honey and pickled cucumbers from Russia, onions and grapes from Kyrgyzstan, strawberries and pine nuts from Pakistan are very popular. Business counselor Feirouz, Embassy of Tajikistan in China, introduced local delicacies and specialties on the spot, expressing the hope that Tajikistan and China will continue to be friendly and tap the potential of cooperation in the agricultural field.
At the end of December last year, China (Shaanxi) Commodity Exchange Center was opened in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. At present, agricultural machinery and equipment, irrigation equipment, Chunhua apples, millet in northern Shaanxi and tea in southern Shaanxi have been exhibited. In the future, the trading center will continue to enrich the variety of products and strengthen the driving function, and strive to become an information service highland and an industrial cooperation highland serving the economic and trade exchanges of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries, and accelerate the economic and trade exchanges in agricultural machinery and equipment, and people’s livelihood department stores.
Vladimir Norov, former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said that building this trading center in Tashkent is a powerful measure to deepen economic and trade exchanges among SCO countries. The economic and trade service platform is based in Uzbekistan, which is helpful to deepen the exchange of agricultural resources and economic and trade cooperation between Uzbekistan and China.
Infrastructure facilities such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization National Agricultural Products Trade Service Platform and the Yangling Free Trade Zone Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park have been built one after another, and the Yangling Comprehensive Bonded Zone (Phase I) has been officially closed for operation, which will further promote trade between Shanghai Cooperation Organization member States in the future.
Strengthening poverty reduction and communication to promote development and prosperity
Strengthening the exchange and cooperation of poverty reduction and agricultural technology among the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is of great significance for accelerating the process of global poverty reduction and promoting world economic development. China will further strengthen the docking of agricultural and rural policies with other SCO member States, promote practical cooperation in agricultural technology and rural development, and contribute more to the global poverty reduction.
At the end of May this year, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Forum on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development was held in Shaanxi. Afridi, vice chairman of Pakistan Senate, said that Pakistan should learn from China’s experience in poverty reduction, combine economic growth with social progress, pay attention to the improvement of farmers’ agricultural skills and the development and utilization of renewable resources, strive to achieve the goals of poverty reduction and sustainable development, and promote social stability and economic prosperity.
"China experts brought new wheat varieties and planting techniques to Kazakhstan, which improved the quality and yield of wheat, and Kazakhstan’s flour also entered the China family." Zhang Nuo, a Kazakh student from Northwest A&F University, said that he hoped to learn more knowledge and experience in poverty reduction and agricultural development in China and contribute to Kazakhstan-China cooperation.
"The experience of China’s urban-rural integration development is very instructive" "Uzbekistan has been struggling with saline-alkali land, and it is very valuable for us to share the experience of saline-alkali land management in China" "Ecological chicken farms are intelligent all the time, and we also hope to introduce such equipment" … … In June this year, in 2023, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization National Poverty Reduction and Development Forum and Poverty Alleviation Training Course started in Qingdao, Shandong Province. Seventy participants from SCO countries participated in the training, and learned from China’s experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalization through theoretical discussions, field visits and case discussions. In 2021, at the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO member states, China announced that it would provide 1,000 poverty alleviation training places to SCO countries in the next three years. The training course is the embodiment of China’s commitment.
Zhang Ming said that poverty reduction has become an important part of the agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the connotation of the cooperation mechanism has been continuously enriched and improved. As a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China has made remarkable achievements in poverty reduction, and its open attitude has created favorable conditions for all parties to share China’s experience and programs. Nadirov Bach Magnol, editorial director of Tajikistan’s "Asia Express" news agency, said: "I hope more people will have the opportunity to study and exchange in China, bring advanced agricultural technology back to their own countries, and help local agricultural economic development."