Int'l agricultural training kicks off in east China

HEFEI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- An international agricultural training course on green technology and new agricultural varieties kicked off Monday in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.

Co-hosted by the Rice Research Institute of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (AAAS) and Anhui Hua'an Seed Industry Co., Ltd., the course has attracted over 200 agricultural scholars, experts, and students from more than 15 countries, including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Kenya, Rwanda. The course is organized both online and offline.

The training aims to enhance grain production and technological advancement in countries along the Belt and Road, and strengthen China's scientific and technical cooperation with them. Reports on various topics, such as crop breeding, rice seed production, and green production technology, will be presented by agricultural experts from different countries during the two-day event.

"Pakistan and China face the same challenges, such as droughts and floods due to global climate change. We can cooperate with each other to develop new rice varieties that are resistant to extreme weather. And I hope to become a bridge of that cooperation," said Muhammad Ahmad Hassan, who is currently doing postdoctoral research at the Rice Research Institute of AAAS.

About 100 participants of the course are from Pakistan, and many of them are studying agriculture at different universities across China.

Rice is vital in ensuring global food security. China is one of the world's leading rice producers, and its rice seed sector is at the forefront of research and technology.