CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, August 29, 2018 Focus | BUSINESS 15 Researcher: B&R Initiative brings opportunities

By JIANG XUEQING ent global mindset,” he said. in Astana During the past few years, Kazakhstan has signed a The Belt and Road Initia­ number of agreements with tive means new economic China to export its vegeta­ options for Kazakhstan’s bles and fruits to the Chinese development, according to a market. researcher at the China Stud­ In 2016, the governments ies Center in the Central of the two countries signed Asian nation. an agreement to connect The BRI is “a wonderful China’s BRI with the Path of initiative that really creates a Light economic strategy of lot of opportunities for all the Kazakhstan. It has helped participants”, said Timur with exchanges at the gov­ Shaimergenov, senior ernment level, business level research fellow at the center. and people­to­people level, “The first is access to new according to Shaimergenov. foreign markets,” he said. “The connection of the “Kazakhstan is a continen­ BRI and the Path of Light tally isolated country. The strategy has influenced the Belt and Road Initiative dynamics of our cooperation Nation supports opens up the Pacific Ocean significantly,” he said. “The for Kazakhstan. Our coun­ agreement doubled the try is grateful for gaining annual volume of trade from access to the port of Lian­ China to Europe through yungang (in China). We Kazakhstan. have widened our opportu­ Kazakh farming nities in foreign trade.” The BRI is also a new Manshuk Zhexembekova, manager of the Kazakh agricultural company Integrachia­Turgen, displays samples of wheat, oats and peas in her office. JIANG XUEQING / CHINA DAILY opportunity for industrial 70 percent development for Kazakh­ stan, Shaimergenov said. proportion of trade transit Chinese side helps is building three greenhouses 2015, to build the 200­hectare main purpose is to sell their Today, Kazakhstan plays a from China to Europe in addition to experimenting modern agriculture innova­ products in Kazakhstan, the new geoeconomic role in operated by Kazakhstan build greenhouses with the introduction of 45 tion park in Turgen. Chinese came here to dissemi­ Eurasia, serving as a conti­ varieties of crops from China The park is jointly operated nate technologies,” he said. nental hub and a bridge in innovation park, to Kazakhstan. by Yangling Modern Agricul­ Kazakh President Nursul­ between East and West. Chi­ “During the past few years, The crops, including Local farmers ture Demonstration Park tan Nazarbayev highlighted na is a huge market, and it is it has helped us to reduce providing seeds wheat, corn and soybeans, Development and Construc­ the benefits of the agricultural very positive for the industri­ (the time spent on) adminis­ and technologies are classified into six types. rarely take good tion Co Ltd and Integrachia­ cooperation with China in an al development of the neigh­ trative and border control Agricultural technicians Turgen, an agricultural interview with Xinhua News boring countries, he said. procedures by three­fourths, from Yangling district of care of vegetables company in Kazakhstan. Agency in May. Shaimergenov congratu­ to allow trains to transit fast­ By JIANG XUEQING Xianyang, Shaanxi province, According to the initial agree­ The trade volume of agricul­ lated China on the brilliant er through Kazakhstan,” in Almaty, Kazakhstan chose seeds from certain are­ and crops after ment, the Chinese side will tural products between China results it has achieved during Shaimergenov said. [email protected] as of China that have a similar provide technologies, seeds and Kazakhstan has surged 20 the past 40 years, and noted Kazakhstan operates climate and soil conditions to sowing ... We and the investment for con­ percent in the past five years, that it has set an example of a about 70 percent of all trade Du Shuangshe, a farmer Kazakhstan’s. struction of three greenhous­ and the export of Kazakh agri­ developing country becom­ transit from China to from Northwest China’s The technicians have want to help es, while the Kazakh side will cultural products to China has ing the second­largest global Europe, he added. Shaanxi province, said he is worked at the agriculture them improve provide the land, said Man­ more than doubled, he said. economy. The stated mission of the looking forward to seeing the innovation park since 2015, shuk Zhexembekova, manag­ Responding enthusiastical­ “We can study your experi­ China Studies Center in greenhouse­grown tomatoes, recording the crops’ growth their planting er of Integrachia­Turgen. ly to the Belt and Road Initia­ ence in economic, social and Kazakhstan is to provide cucumbers and bell peppers status and comparing their “The greatest benefit of our tive, the Yangling political development. It information on Chinese produced at the China­Ka­ performance with their local patterns by cooperation is that we can demonstration zone has set up helps other developing coun­ development. Researchers at zakhstan Modern Agriculture counterparts annually. They learn advanced agriculture trade and investment service tries to avoid the problems the center visit many differ­ Innovation Park in Turgen, a observe their disease and showing them our technologies and knowledge,” centers in Kazakhstan and that China faced. ent cities and provinces in village in the Almaty region of drought resistance, and pro­ said Zhexembekova. Russia and built international “Today, Chinese develop­ China. By analyzing Chinese Kazakhstan. ductivity, to identify better­ way of farming.” “We have built a platform technology cooperation parks ment is very specific because development, they identify One of Du’s major responsi­ performing varieties. that shows new technologies in Central Asia to promote the China tries to share its own new options for bilateral bilities is to select the best So far, WW­5, a variety of Du Shuangshe, a farmer and new varieties of agricul­ commercialization of agricul­ experience on development relations between Kazakh­ seeds introduced from China wheat introduced during the from Shaanxi province tural products from the Yan­ tural research findings. and to support neighboring stan and China. The center that can survive the chilly win­ year 2017­18, has shown prom­ gling agricultural high­tech Liu Na, international coop­ countries in their efforts to cooperates with many Chi­ ters of Kazakhstan. With over inent features of rust and industries demonstration eration manager at Yangling reform, which is a very differ­ nese leading think tanks. 20 years of experience in vege­ drought resistance, as well as a zone to agriculture profession­ Modern Agriculture Demon­ table planting, Du said he high yield. Its output reached als from Kazakhstan and stration Park Development hopes to show local farmers 4,815 kilograms per hectare, Uzbekistan. At the current and Construction, said: “We’ll how to grow vegetables in a 44 percent higher than the The greatest stage, we’re still doing experi­ develop Yangling into a center greenhouse and share his yield of local varieties. ments. If we find that the yield for international agricultural know­how with them. In the year 2015­16, the P2 benefit of our is high for certain varieties, cooperation in the economies “Local farmers rarely take variety of soybean also bore we’ll recommend them to related to the Belt and Road good care of vegetables and more soybean pods and larger cooperation is local farmers. The greenhouse Initiative.” crops after sowing. They leave seeds, yielding 3,487.5 kg per technology will also be pro­ The Yangling demonstra­ tomatoes growing in the field hectare, 33 percent higher that we can moted if local residents like it,” tion zone has hired a total of without building trellises to than the production of local she said. 81 overseas agriculture support the plant’s sprawling varieties. learn advanced Abumuslim Alisultanovich, experts since 2012. It has vines and heavy fruit. We want To promote agricultural an agricultural technician built a team of experts for to help them improve their technology cooperation agriculture with Integrachia­Turgen, has technical assistance and sent planting patterns by showing between China and Kazakh­ been tracking the growth of a more than 20 experts to them our way of farming,” he stan, the administrative com­ technologies cornfield at the agriculture developing countries every said. mission of the Yangling and knowledge.” innovation park for over a year to offer training on 11 State­owned Yangling Mod­ agricultural high­tech indus­ year. He found that the corn subjects, including soil and ern Agriculture Demonstra­ tries demonstration zone Manshuk Zhexembekova, varieties from China show water conservation, water­ tion Park Development and signed an agreement with the manager of Integrachia­Turgen strong resistance to diseases saving irrigation in drought Timur Shaimergenov, a senior research fellow at the China Construction Co Ltd runs the International Fund Integra­ and drought. regions and modern agricul­ Studies Center in Kazakhstan, takes part in an interview. agriculture innovation park. It tion of Kazakhstan in May “Unlike some nations whose tural economics. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Northwest A&F University establishes agriculture partnerships

By JIANG XUEQING crops and technologies, desertification control and soil in Almaty, Kazakhstan according to Guo Dongwei, erosion prevention, Zhang associate professor of the col­ said. Northwest A&F University lege of agronomy at NWAFU. In addition, China and has deepened its agricultural “After a two­year test, for We hope to help Kazakhstan have also stepped cooperation with Kazakhstan, each type of crop introduced, up cooperation in education introducing 39 varieties of we will select one or two varie­ local farmers and talent fostering. crops from China via jointly ties that are suitable for local NWAFU admitted 21 doc­ established demonstration promotion and then conduct increase their crop toral students from its partner gardens in Astana and the the experiment again in a larg­ universities and several country’s north region this er test field covering 6.67 to yields and sell their research institutes in Kazakh­ year. 13.33 hectares,” Guo said. stan in 2017, as well as another Located in Yangling district “If the selected varieties per­ wheat to China ...” 27 doctoral students from the of Xianyang, Shaanxi prov­ form well consistently, we’ll Central Asian country this ince, NWAFU has built part­ offer them to local farmers Zhang Zhengmao, a professor year. nerships with Kazakh who have received orders at Northwest A&F University Sponsored by the Chinese National Agrarian University, from Xi’an Aiju Grain and Oil Government Scholarship — S Seifullin Kazakh AgroTech­ Industry Group Co, and show the Silk Road Program set up nical University, and M Kozy­ them how to plant the crops put is low at the moment. We by China’s Ministry of Educa­ bayev North Kazakhstan State using our technologies. Later, hope to help local farmers tion, the students will return University. Aiju will purchase the crops Guo Dongwei (right), an associate professor at Northwest A&F University, assesses the growth of increase their crop yields and to Kazakhstan after gradua­ They have each provided a 5 and sell them in China,” he sell their wheat to China, thus tion. Kazakh teachers also corns at a new crop varieties demonstration park in Almaty, Kazakhstan. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY hectare core testing area in said. increasing their income and attended short­term training Almaty, Astana and Petropav­ Back in November 2016, Kazakhstan’s exports to China, at NWAFU, he said. lovsk respectively, for the NWAFU proposed the launch related universities, research stration gardens it jointly the local variety. as well as helping China A number of other Chinese introduction of Chinese crop of the Silk Road Agricultural institutes and companies from established with its local part­ Zhang Zhengmao, a profes­ ensure a secure food supply.” universities and research varieties. Education and Research Inno­ 14 countries have joined the ners in Kazakhstan. After tests sor at the university’s college The agricultural coopera­ institutes, such as Xinjiang The Kazakh side is responsi­ vation Alliance to promote alliance. over a 12­month period, the of agronomy, said: “Kazakh­ tion between the two coun­ Agricultural University and ble for the daily management technical and education col­ So far, the university has best­performing variety of stan has vast land resources tries is mainly focused on the Xinjiang Academy of Agri­ of the demonstration gardens, laboration, foster talent and introduced 37 varieties of corn yielded 12.9 metric tons and is scarcely populated. In technological collaboration, cultural Sciences, have also while the Chinese side is increase use of agriculture crops — including wheat, corn per hectare in Almaty, 57 per­ spite of its great potential for such as exchanging seed established cooperation with responsible for providing technologies. To date, 76 agro­ and potatoes — to the demon­ cent higher than the output of food production, its grain out­ resources, joint breeding, their Kazakh counterparts.