A joint closing ceremony for two tropical agriculture training programs was held in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, on the afternoon of June 8. The programs, titled "Training Course on Tropical Crop Pest and Disease Control for Developing Countries" and "Training Program on Coordinated Development of the Whole Tropical Fruit Industry Chain for Developing Countries," were sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of China and organized by the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS).
Fifty agricultural officials and specialists from nine developing countries, including Thailand, the Maldives, Egypt, and the Gambia, successfully completed all coursework and field exercises.
Fifty trainees from nine countries receive their completion certificates.
The training programs opened three weeks earlier in Haikou, Hainan Province. Centered on China's experience in poverty reduction, rural revitalization, and modern tropical agriculture, the curriculum combined lectures, case studies, technical demonstrations, and field visits. Participants gained exposure to key technologies in tropical crop breeding, high-efficiency cultivation, product processing and utilization, and green pest control. They also studied China's practical approaches to agricultural development and international cooperation in the field.
Trainees visit Zhanjiang South Station Digital E-commerce Technology Park for a study tour.
During the program, participants in the Tropical Fruit Industry Chain Training Program visited Zhanjiang South Station Digital E-commerce Technology Park, where they studied how tropical agriculture could be integrated with e-commerce to expand market channels and support industry development.
Meanwhile, participants in the Training Course on Tropical Crop Pest and Disease Control visited three representative sites in Zhanjiang: the "Pineapple Sea" section of Xuwen National Modern Agricultural Industrial Park, Lanying Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., and the Nuoxiangyuan Professional Cooperative. The visits gave participants a closer look at advanced cultivation and management techniques for lucky bamboo and pineapples, as well as local progress in full-industry-chain agricultural development.
Islam Mohammad Soliman Mohammed Zidan studies the lucky bamboo industry.
"Zhanjiang's agricultural system is highly advanced, with extensive and mature application of modern technologies," said Islam Mohammad Soliman Mohammed Zidan, a trainee from Egypt. "Local agriculture deeply integrates scientific research with technological application, delivering outstanding results. During this training, we systematically learned planting techniques and cultivation models for pineapples and lucky bamboo, technologies that are not yet widespread in Egypt."
Trainees tour "Pineapple Sea" in Xuwen, Zhanjiang.
Aboobakuru Mohamed, from the Maldives' Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, said cooperation between CATAS and his ministry in tropical agriculture has continued to deepen and deliver positive results. "We are currently implementing a coconut pest control assistance project together and building a natural enemy factory at the Hanimadhoo Agricultural Center. These efforts have significantly enhanced the Maldives' capacity in biological control and sustainable agriculture."
Trainees taste local golden passion fruit.
"As a participant from the Maldives, I found many of the topics covered during this training highly relevant to my country's agricultural development. The knowledge will be valuable for strengthening agricultural resilience and food security in our country," Mohamed said.
Reporter & Photo: Chen Huan
