What impressed me most was the modern and intelligent agricultural equipment, such as seeding and fertilizing UAV and fruit picking robots, introduced by the president of South China Agricultural University (SCAU). These technologies will enable Colombia to achieve precision agriculture, according to participants of a China-Columbia lecture at the Esternado University on May 12.
The lecture was co-organized by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Colombia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia. A dozen of scholars from both China and Colombia discussed the opportunities and challenges of agriculture sectors of both sides via video link.
Martha Lucia Ramirez, vice president and foreign minister of Columbia, said that China is Colombia's second largest trading partner, largest source of imports, and largest source of direct investment in Asia.
Both sides should seize this opportunity to enhance Colombia-China relations and jointly contribute to the progress of mankind, she added.
Lan Hu, Chinese Ambassador to Colombia, said China and Colombia are mutual development opportunities, we have broad prospects for cooperation in the fields of infrastructure construction, technological innovation, agricultural development, digital economy, culture and education.
Qiu Rongliang, vice president of SCAU and secretary general of the China-Latin America Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance, gave a video presentation at the meeting and analyzed the prospects for sustainable agricultural development in Guangdong and Latin America.
"Under the 'China-Latin America Alliance', universities in Guangdong, especially SCAU, have carried out a series of cooperation with Latin American countries and achieved fruitful results, covering agricultural science and education, the establishment of research platforms, the promotion of practical agricultural technology, the construction of high-end think tanks, and some 'Chinese language + speciality projects'."
Qiu also introduced SCAU's latest research results in agriculture, such as precision agricultural aviation technology, space mutation breeding, plant factories, rice-duck farming, intelligent agriculture and other related achievements.
In the discussion, some scholars said they were impressed by China's modern agricultural technology. They hoped that the two countries will achieve further cooperation and mutual learning in modern agriculture in the future.
This presentation is SCAU's third participation in academic and cultural activity organized by the Colombian government after the "21st China-Colombia Agriculture Week" in 2021 and the "2nd Colombian Agricultural Technology Innovation International Expo"in April 2022.
About China-Latin America Agriculture Education and Research Innovation Alliance:
The China-Latin America Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance was jointly built by 62 agricultural universities, research institutions and companies from China and 13 countries in Latin America in December 2020.
From April 6 to 8, 2022, SCAU, initiator of the alliance, appeared at the International Cloud Expo of Agricultural Technology in Colombia with Chinese smart equipment such as fruit picking robots, seeding and fertilizing UAV. The appearance attracted more than 50,000 agricultural experts, scholars, manufacturers and agricultural economic and trade personnel to watch the exhibition online.
Author: Ariel, Serena & Tonny (intern)
Editor: Wing, Steven, Monica, Abby, Jerry
Photo: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Colombia, SCAU
