Papua New Guinea farmers and agriculture workers will now have the opportunity to attend short-term training in China’s Guangdong Province.
Young PNG students will also be offered the opportunity to study agriculture or related fields in agricultural institutions in Guangdong.
Agricultural experts, including scientists and researchers, will also travel to PNG to provide technical advice to agricultural agencies and conduct farmer training. They will also look at establishing demonstration farms.
The offer was made to a group of 19 PNG officers and farmers who successfully completed a two-week agriculture training programme in Guangdong’s Guangzhou city last week. The training was to enable Pacific Island countries to learn more about agricultural technology and advanced agriculture innovations which they can adapt into their own communities.
The President of the Guangdong Agriculture Industry Business Polytechnic College, Mr Du Fangmin, and his senior management team, held a seminar with the visiting PNG team and made these suggestions. Heads of the various departments also attended the seminar.
Mr Fangmin said the polytechnic has two campuses and conducts courses in tropical crops, business, management, foreign languages, arts, international exchange, ideological and political theory. The institution also offers continuing education, vocational and technical education, computer applications, communications and others.
“Our polytechnic focuses on student quality education and pays attention to cultivating students’ innovative thinking and practical ability.”
Mr Fangmin said GAIB polytechnic and other institutions in Guangdong are willing to strengthen their cooperation and to establish links with other universities and agricultural institutions and agencies in PNG to promote agriculture education and training.
He said the visit by the PNG group was an eye-opener and their offer was part of their willingness to establish closer cooperation in relation to agriculture development in the Pacific region. China was now opening up trade with other countries and was interested in what PNG can provide in terms of agricultural exports.
