Delegation from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Visits ICS-CAAS

On March 30, a four-member delegation led by Balcha, Director of the National Crop Research Directorate of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), visited the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS). The two sides held in-depth discussions on advancing China–Ethiopia cooperation in agricultural science and technology innovation, variety development, technology dissemination, and personnel training. Representatives of the Department of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), and the Research Management Office of ICS-CAAS attended the meeting.

The delegation heard detailed presentations on ICS-CAAS and its scientific and technological innovations, commended its research in crop genetic improvement and cultivation technology innovation, and introduced Ethiopia’s agricultural research system and main research priorities. Ming Bo, Hou Peng, Zhang Juan, and Yin Dameng from the institute’s Crop Cultivation Research Center gave thematic presentations on their teams’ research progress and the principles and outcomes of precision management technologies for high-density, high-yield maize production. The two sides then discussed the feasibility of practical cooperation under the framework of the CAAS International Agricultural Science Program.

Participants noted that Ethiopia is an important agricultural country in Africa and that agricultural cooperation between China and Ethiopia has a strong foundation and broad prospects. Under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation, the two countries have considerable potential for cooperation in crop germplasm exchange, new variety development, cultivation technology innovation, and agricultural personnel training. Both sides expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation in the improvement of major food crops such as maize and wheat, high-yield crop production technologies, and the training of young researchers, with the aim of strengthening Ethiopia’s food security and achieving more tangible outcomes in bilateral agricultural science and technology cooperation.

During the visit, the delegation also toured the National Crop Genebank to learn more about China’s conservation and utilization of crop germplasm and its agricultural science and technology innovations.