Chinese Government provides $30 million grant for Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center Project (Linked to Record ID#20463)

Project narrative

On 1 July, 2008, the Chinese Government and the Government of Zimbabwe signed a protocol agreement related to an Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center Project. Then, on 19 April, 2009, the Chinese Government and the Government of Zimbabwe signed an $30 million USD grant agreement to support this project. The purpose of this project was to establish an Agricultural Technological Demonstration Center (ATDC) at Gwebi Agricultural College, which is located 27 km outside Harare. It was envisaged that the ATDC would focus on, among other activities, pilot demonstration, including the experimental cultivation of nearly 20 kinds of local maize seeds in cooperation with local seed companies, the experimental cultivation of a dozen varieties of potatoes jointly with domestic potato research institutes, and the promotion of diced potato cultivation technology. It was also envisaged that the ATDC would be run by the Chinese Government for three years before being handed over to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Agriculture and absorbed as one of its centers of research excellence. MAE Northern Company and the Research Institute of China Agricultural Mechanization were the contractors responsible for project implementation. On 22 October, 2009, a foundation-laying ceremony for the ATDC took place. On 15 October, 2012, the ATDC was officially inaugurated. The Chinese project title is 中国援津农业技术示范中心. The linked Record ID#20463 captures the dispatch of 10 Chinese experts to train Zimbabwean workers at the Agricultural Technological Demonstration Center (ATDC) at Gwebi Agricultural College.