STORY: China hands over agricultural machinery, infrastructure to Malawian gov't
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 24, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 29, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:21
LOCATION: Lilongwe
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/EDUCATION

SHOTLIST:
1. various of ribbon-cutting 
2. various of facility and equipment
3. SOUNDBITE (English): SAM KAWALE, Malawian Minister of Agriculture
4. various of handover ceremony

STORYLINE:

The third phase of China-aided agricultural equipment and infrastructure was handed over to the government of Malawi on Thursday last week.

The package, under the China Aid Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project, included greenhouses, assorted agricultural machinery and infrastructure, aimed at promoting agriculture, one of Malawi's key sectors, as the country strives to achieve economic independence by 2063.

When presiding over the handover ceremony in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, Zhang Chunfa, economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Malawi, described the event as "fruitful results of practical agricultural cooperation" between the two countries.

He defined the assistance project established by the Chinese government in Lilongwe as a landmark initiative in agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Zhang noted that over the past nine years, three phases of the project have been implemented, yielding long-term benefits and receiving warm recognition from both the Malawian government and its people.

"China has established an agricultural demonstration center, provided technical assistance, supported rural areas through the construction of 600 wells, and delivered multiple rounds of emergency humanitarian food aid, with a new batch currently underway," explained Zhang.

He also observed that the Chinese government has sped up efforts to facilitate the export of Malawian agricultural products such as soybeans and groundnuts to China.

Accepting the third phase of the agricultural package, Malawian Minister of Agriculture Sam Kawale hailed the Chinese government for the equipment and modern agricultural technology handed over to Malawi.

SOUNDBITE (English): SAM KAWALE, Malawian Minister of Agriculture
"Our goal is to make sure that we have more people come here to be trained, as well as get the technologies that will be developed here in the hands of the farmer for them to use to increase production in their fields. By increasing production, we're going to end hunger, and at the same time, we will generate income at the household level, which will help to stimulate the economy, as we focus on import substitution, as well as forex generation through the exports of the crops that will be grown by our farmers in the country."

Kawale said his ministry will continue working with China to fulfill Malawi's Vision 2063, with a focus on good, innovative ways of producing high-quality crops.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lilongwe.
(XHTV)