STORY: China starts import of mutton products from Africa
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 8, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 9, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:30
LOCATION: CHANGSHA, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the mutton products inspected by Changsha Customs
2. various of the mutton from Madagascar
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (French): MICHEL ANODRAKA, Ministry of Agriculture in Madagascar
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YUAN DING'AN, Chairman of Yuan's High-tech Seed Co., Ltd.

STORYLINE:

A shipment of mutton from Madagascar was cleared at Changsha Customs in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, marking China's first mutton imports from Africa and an important breakthrough in China-Africa meat trade.

Customs officials conducted an on-site inspection of the frozen mutton shipment, weighing 1,000 kg in total.

SOUNDBITE 1 (French): MICHEL ANODRAKA, Ministry of Agriculture in Madagascar
"This is an achievement of the cooperation between Madagascar and China. I am delighted that the first shipment of mutton has arrived in China. The sheep were naturally fed, so the mutton is of very good quality."

The mutton was shipped by air from Madagascar to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in the capital of south China's Guangdong Province and then transported by road to Changsha, with the entire delivery time taking approximately 36 hours.

The Madagascar mutton will be sold in various restaurants and supermarkets across Hunan, a leading Chinese province in economic and trade relations with Africa, and a pioneer in China-Africa cooperation.

According to the customs department, the meat was produced by a Madagascar-based animal husbandry company, established with investment from Hunan's Yuan's High-tech Seed Co., Ltd. The company is also a key exporter of China's hybrid rice seeds to Africa.

Yuan Ding'an, chairman of the company, told Xinhua that Madagascan mutton has both quality and price advantages in the Chinese market. The company aims to export 20,000 tonnes of mutton annually from Madagascar to China within three to five years.

China signed an agreement with Madagascar to allow the mutton trade during the third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha last year.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YUAN DING'AN, Chairman of Yuan's High-tech Seed Co., Ltd.
"This is China's first mutton import (from Madagascar) since the agreement was signed last year, and there will be continuous imports of mutton to China with customs entry permit."

In the first seven months of this year, Hunan imported African agricultural products valued at approximately 240 million yuan (about 33.9 million U.S. dollars), up 10.6 percent year on year.

In addition to Madagascan mutton, Changsha Customs has facilitated the issuance of market access certificates for 24 batches of African food exports to China. These include wild aquatic products from Kenya and Tanzania, cashews from Guinea-Bissau, dried chili peppers from Rwanda, and dried anchovies from Kenya.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Changsha, China.
(XHTV)