Officials from Laos’ Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and China’s Hunan province sign an agreement on agricultural cooperation.   --Photo Lao National Radio

Laos, China ink agreement on agricultural development

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and China’s Hunan province have entered into an agreement to jointly develop a modern agricultural system.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the initiative was signed on Friday in a ceremony attended by Lao and Chinese officials via video link.
The MOU was signed by Laos’ Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Kikeo Singnavong, and the Deputy Governor of Hunan province, Mr He Bao Xiang, witnessed by Laos’ Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr Phet Phomphiphak, the Governor of Hunan province, and senior officials from the two sides.
Dr Phet said the MOU was an important step in cooperation between the two parties in the development of agriculture and socio-economic development in general.
Hunan province employs modern and efficient systems of agriculture that are among the best in China, which has enabled more food to be produced and meet the needs of the growing population.
The growth in cooperation between Hunan province and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is a positive step in the development of the two countries, Dr Phet added. 
The joint initiative aims to boost trade and improve the quality of agriculture based on the “one road” concept, meaning that the Laos-China Railway will be instrumental in linking the two development zones in Vientiane and Hunan province.
The two sides agreed that the two development zones would be central to cooperation between Laos and China in the fields of commerce, transport and finance, serving to modernise agricultural production and benefitting from Laos-China economic ties and the railway.
Under the project, the Lao ministry and Hunan province will build a modern, industrialised agricultural facility in Vientiane as a distribution centre for the export of high-quality agricultural produce to neighbouring countries.
They will jointly formulate policies and regulations for the operation of the centre and incorporate scientific principles into agricultural production.
The project will help to reduce poverty, spur development in remote areas, improving the agricultural investment environment, and generally expand investment, cooperation and other fields.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update August 29, 2022)