China assists Agriculture Technology Cooperation Project in Kara, Togo

In 2006, the visit of the President of the Togolese Republic, Faure Gnassingbé, to China lead to the signing of a cooperation agreement for agricultural research cooperation in Kara. After the signing, in June 2006, a team of Chinese experts arrived in Kara to start a research cooperation with the Togolese Agricultural Research Institute (ITRA) on the adaptability of hybrid rice and maize seeds to local pedoclimatic conditions. The declared objective of the project is to move towards self-sufficiency in Togo by increasing the productivity of farmers, use of Chinese seeds, and new technical routes. The Chinese team consists of a director, an interpreter and 3 to 4 agronomists in rice, maize, and seed reproduction, chosen for their technical background and experience. Each member of the team comes for a period of two years, The agreement stipulates that Togo must bear these costs of operation, make the sites available for experiments and accommodation buildings for Chinese personnel, and take charge of the salary of Togolese staff. The Chinese, for their part, finance the salaries of their experts as well as the equipment and inputs used in the experiments, although the exact amount of financing is unknown. ITRA made available to the project two experimental sites, the first in Pya, 15 km north of the town of Kara, of approximately 3,800 m² for rice experimentation, and the second in Sarakawa, 25 km northwest of Kara, approximately 5,600 m² for the maize varietal trials. In 2007, the expert team expanded the scale of the experiment and tested and cultivated 5 rice varieties in Pya Village and six corn varieties in Sarakawa Village. Afterwards, the expert team screened out 3 rice varieties and 1 maize variety suitable for Togo's climatic conditions. On May 13, 2010, Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Togo, Chai Mingwa, and Togolese Minister of Cooperation, Development and Territorial Rehabilitation, Bavala, exchanged notes on behalf of their respective governments on the third phase of China’s assistance to Togo’s Kara agricultural technical cooperation. On May 29th, 2012, Chinese Ambassador to Togo Wang Zuofeng and Togolese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Elliott Aoun exchanged notes in Lomé on the fourth phase of technical cooperation.

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