On 11 May, the first training course of talent training project on tropical agriculture for the countries along the Lancang-Mekong river officially started in Haikou, Capital of Hainan Province, PRC. The theme for the first training course was monitoring, early warning, and integrated management of pests and diseases in tropical agriculture. The Scientific and Technical Information Research Institute under CATAS hosted the training course. A total of 20 participants from Cambodia and Thailand attended this training course. Huang Guixiu, the Director of the Division of International Cooperation, CATAS, showed off and made an address at the opening ceremony, which was chaired by Zhao Songlin, Acting Vice Director of the host institute.  

Photo of Opening Ceremony

This training course was aimed at further improving the production and technology of modern tropical agriculture, enhancing the friendship and agricultural cooperation between China and the five countries along the Lancang-Mekong river. China is a good neighbor of the five countries who nourished by the same river and shared a common destiny. This training project will provide a better platform for frequent academic communication so as to improve the comprehensive development of tropical agricultural science and technology, to deepen the cooperation between China and the five countries in tropical agriculture, and to strengthen experience exchange and scientific and technological cooperation between China and the five countries in the following aspects: sustainable agricultural development, construction of industrial parks, integrated management of pests and diseases on tropical crops, agro-products safety, tropical crops products processing, and tropical animal farming.

According to Gao Xiuyun, manager of the training project, the talent training project consisted of 6 training courses, to which CATAS would spare no efforts in supporting all organization and logistic activities. The establishment of talent training project on tropical agriculture for the countries along the Lancang-Mekong river can take fully advantage of scientific and technical resources of CATAS with the link of talents training to help mutual development of China and the five countries; and can build a good channel of cooperation, stable training platform, cooperative mechanism of talent training of Lancang-Mekong river to promote in-depth cooperation, mutual development of agricultural and rural economy and construction of community with a shared future along the Lancang-Mekong river.

The participants of this training course came from Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia; Nakhon Sawan Field Crops Research Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand; and other organizations in the countries along Lancang-Mekong river. This training course will last for 10 days and be divided into 6-day classroom lecturing in Haikou campus of CATAS and 4-day practical operation exercises in Xinglong campus, Wanning and Danzhou campus of CATAS as well as Sanya and so on.

Just after opening ceremony