Sino-Japanese Agricultural Project in Shandong Makes HeadwayThe largest foreign-funded agriculture development project in coastal Shandong Province is progressing smoothly, according to sources in Jinan.In November 2000, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) granted a 8.9-billion-yen (about 71.45 million U.S. dollars) loan on favorable terms for the development of agriculture in the Yellow River Delta in Shandong. The total investment for the project amounted to 1.23 billion yuan (149 million U.S. dollars). Officials at the provincial capital said the joint project aims to step up infrastructure construction and improve the environment in some counties of Dongying and Zibo cities, which used to suffer from droughts or floods, due to their low altitude and poor water- control facilities. So far, a new reservoir has been built in Kenli County, Dongying. Pipes have been laid for a water-saving irrigation project in the Delta, and 2,600 hectares of low-yield fields have been upgraded. Meanwhile, the local government has invited experts from Israel and the United States to help design greenhouses and river crab pounds in the Delta. Development of the Yellow River Delta is a key program in the new millennium, which is expected to improve production capability and increase farmers' incomes along the second longest river in China. |
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