China’s foreign aid cooperation project with Benin on cotton planting continues in 2022

The opening ceremony of the annual training class of 2022 themed on mechanized operation technology of cotton planting and maintenance of agricultural machinery was recently held in Benin. It is an aid project sponsored by China to help Benin accelerate agricultural mechanization.

The event was co-hosted by a cotton-planting technical team, an affiliate of Sinomach subsidiary China Hi-Tech Group Corporation, the Benin Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, and the Benin Cotton Association.

The project is helping Benin improve the technologies of cotton seed breeding, selection and refinement, as well as those of advance agricultural operations including mechanized sowing and field management.

CTMTC has agreed to undertake the project since 2013, and this year marks the third training session. A decade of efforts by CTMTC has changed the fortunes of many Benin farmers. They have acquired skills to make a living and have become prosperous. The project champions the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation and has been showered with praise for bringing benefits to local people.

The expert team of the third training session consists of seven people from different agricultural majors such as management, cultivation and machinery. In addition to promoting local cotton planting, they will introduce more diverse types of Chinese agricultural machinery products and cultivate qualified operators and maintainers. The increased cotton productivity means a brighter future for cotton farmers can be expected in the near future.