In order to speed up the pragmatic cooperation with Côte d'Ivoire in tropical high-efficiency agriculture, Hao Chaoyun, Deputy director of Spice and Beverage Crops Research Institute of CATAS led a delegation of 5 people to Côte d'Ivoire in the recent days to conduct agricultural inspection and cooperation.

On 25 July, the delegation and Dr. Wongbé, Director of National Agricultural Research Center of Côte d'Ivoire, had a discussion on tropical agricultural science and technology cooperation. The scientists from CATAS briefly introduced to the host scientific and technological innovation and achievement transfer of CATAS and Spice and Beverage Crops Research Institute, and proposed a framework for cooperation between the two sides in efficient production technology and primary processing technology for local application of cash crops, such as cocoa, and joint construction of a laboratory in Côte d'Ivoire to further improve the scientific and technological innovation capability of Côte d'Ivoire and technology application frequency of the country , etc. Dr. Wongbé showed his welcome to the delegation of CATAS and hoped that both sides can make full use of resources and technology advantages to improve the research facility of Côte d'Ivoire, to enhance the agricultural scientific and technical innovation capability of Côte d'Ivoire, and promote industrial upgrading as well as growth of rural incomes in Côte d'Ivoire.

The delegation went to the cocoa and coffee experimental station in DIVO to exchange ideas and learned about the research progress in germplasm resource conservation, utilization, cultivation and primary processing of cocoa and coffee from respective research groups. They also did site investigation of local field gene pool, plantations and primary processing plants of cocoa and coffee, and came to know basically the bottlenecks and technical needs of the industrial development of Côte d'Ivoire, which provide first-hand materials for the consideration of further promotion of the scientific and technological cooperation in high-efficiency agriculture between the two sides and possible integration with the “Belt and Road” Initiative.

Investigation in Field Gene Bank of Cocoa and Coffee