On May 23, the 7th International Agriculture and Animal Resources Exhibition opened in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Centered on the theme “Building a Food Processing System to Achieve Africa’s Food Sovereignty”, this year’s exhibition drew nearly 1,000 enterprises from around the globe, setting a new benchmark for professional agricultural exhibitions in sub-Saharan Africa. As the Guest of Honor, China was invited to participate, with a dedicated China National Pavilion and a series of “China Day” activities. Attendees included H.E. Mr. Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire; H.E. Mr. Zhang Xingwang, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA); Ivorian ministerial delegations; and foreign envoys accredited to Côte d’Ivoire. A delegation led by Mr. Li Jihua, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), also participated in these activities.
Tropical agricultural science and technology were key features of the exhibition. In the core area of the China National Pavilion, CATAS presented China’s latest innovations in tropical agricultural science and technology to domestic and international attendees through an integrated display of physical exhibits, multimedia presentations, and hands-on experiences. The booth attracted frequent inquiries from African farmers and Chinese business representatives about various technologies and products, including automatic rubber tapping machines, cassava rice, nama chocolate, and fragrance extraction techniques. Deep-processed products such as cocoa chocolate and pandan cake, introduced by Hainan Xingke Company, offered visitors a vivid sense of the value-added potential of tropical agricultural commodities.
CATAS’s Scientific Achievements on Display at the China National Pavilion
At the opening ceremony of “China Day” on May 24, Vice President Li Jihua delivered a keynote report on tropical agricultural industry and technology. He shared China’s achievements in tropical agricultural development and outlined the future direction of China-Africa cooperation in tropical agricultural science and technology innovation. He emphasized that the development of tropical agriculture is not merely a regional responsibility but a global imperative, and expressed hope that China’s scientific and technological achievements could play a greater role in advancing tropical agriculture in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa, and across the globe.
Meanwhile, witnessed by H.E. Mr. Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of State and Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production of Côte d’Ivoire, and H.E. Mr. Zhang Xingwang, Vice Minister of MARA, CATAS and the Université de San Pedro signed a cooperation agreement focused on innovation in tropical agricultural science and technology.
Keynote Report and Signing Ceremony
On the afternoon of the same day, CATAS hosted an academic session titled “Tropical Agriculture Exhibition and Exchange”. Experts and scholars from CATAS’s Spice and Beverages Research Institute (SBRI) and Tropical Crop Variety and Germplasm Resources Institute (TCVGRI), together with representatives from Côte d’Ivoire’s Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (National Agricultural Research Center - CNRA) and the Université de San Pedro, engaged in academic exchanges centered on four priority areas: natural rubber, coffee and cocoa, cassava, and the mechanization of tropical agriculture. Hainan Xingke Company also delivered a presentation on China’s cocoa industry and culture, followed by a live product tasting.
Tropical Agriculture Theme Exhibition and Exchange Session
During the exhibition, the CATAS delegation held cooperation discussions with several entities, including China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH), Meilan Group, Nanning Light Industry, as well as Côte d’Ivoire’s Conseil du Café-Cacao (Coffee and Cocoa Council - CCC), Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA), and local producers of cocoa, cassava, and cashew nuts. Preliminary consensus was reached with relevant stakeholders on establishing a “China-Africa Tropical Agricultural Science and Technology Center”.
The exhibition ran until June 1. The event received extensive media coverage from more than ten major Chinese and Ivorian outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI), Côte d’Ivoire’s national broadcaster.
