Interview: China "reliable" partner for Congo's agricultural development, says minister

BRAZZAVILLE, July 24 (Xinhua) -- China proves to be a "reliable" and "credible" partner to support the Republic of the Congo in its agricultural development and food security, said Paul Valentin Ngobo, Congolese minister of agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

Having taken root and borne fruit since the 1960s, the bilateral agricultural cooperation remains "very concrete and important" for Congo, highlighted the Congolese minister in a recent interview with Xinhua, noting that the agricultural sector is materially well invested by the two countries with the Chinese-brand agricultural machinery highly visible in the Congolese fields.

In the eyes of Ngobo, what makes this "highly broad, pragmatic and fruitful" cooperation happen is the experience-sharing and training by the Chinese. "If there is one element that cannot be taken away from China, it is its willingness to share with others," said Ngobo at his office in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital.

In his words, agricultural knowledge matters for the sector to develop in the long run. "Equipment is doomed to be damaged, but the training of knowledge stays," he said, citing the Agriculture Technology Demonstration Center (ATDC) in Brazzaville.

Inaugurated in 2012 by Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, the ATDC, located in the suburbs of the Congolese capital, aims to improve and diversify agricultural production in the country through research, training and popularization projects.

Over the years, the center, a bit far from the city's downtown, has become a household name for Brazzaville's residents, with the crops grown in its fields, such as seedless watermelon, being sold and appreciated in local markets.

The ATDC "is the channel through which the transfer of knowledge can take place and the channel through which China can show us its additional knowledge on agriculture," Ngobo said, calling himself a fan of Chinese agricultural know-how.

"I see a lot of maize farmers in China on TikTok. I would like to know how they manage to do it," he said, calling for broader training "in favor of the country's food safety."

"We have seen the impact of the training by our friend the ATDC. People didn't know a thing about soybeans in an agricultural zone in the province of Lekoumou, and they now produce tons of soybeans," said Ngobo.

For him, the ATDC also opens up the future of the Congolese agricultural sector. In April 2023, the Congolese minister inaugurated at the ATDC a processing plant for cassava flour, a staple food consumed by around 90 percent of the Congolese population.

This factory, followed by the minister from start to finish, with an estimated production capacity of 4,000 tonnes per year, constitutes "a practical example of cooperation" between the two countries, on which the future of agricultural development depends, said the minister.

According to him, the launch of such factories makes possible the affordable price of cassava flour on the market and higher incomes for cassava producers, a vision fitting neatly the country's food resilience plan to promote producers and reduce poverty in rural areas.

He explained that such factories "allow us to increase our producers' income and to provide a staple food stably and at an acceptable price," wishing this model would extend to other crops, such as soybeans and corn.