Gov’t officers end training seminar on ‘Rural Development’ in China

More than 20 government officers from the Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce have successfully completed a training seminar on ‘Rural Development’ for Solomon Islands in China over the weekend.

The program was held from 10-30 September 2023 at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), Institute of Administration and Management (AMI), Beijing.

The government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) through its Ministry of Commerce funded the three weeks training.

The aim of the training was to enhance the communication and cooperation on rural affairs/development between PRC and the Solomon Islands.

The training was the first of its kind for Solomon Islands to attend and it featured 17 lectures and 16 field visits to major high-tech agricultural companies and enterprises in Beijing and Guangdong Province of China.

The training provided opportunities for participants to better understand the achievements in China’s rural and agricultural development, concept, policies and experience on poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

It also provided an opportunity for officers to learn China’s practice on rural construction and strengthen the exchanges with Chinese experts and scholars so as to lay a foundation for further exchanges and pragmatic cooperation.

Participants also learn and explore the rural development model/system of China and its development successes and challenges.

Some of the topics covered include;

• China’s Rural Policy System

• Promoting Cooperation in Agriculture

• China’s modern Agriculture

• China’s Agriculture, Rural Affairs and Farmers new Era

• Farmers Cooperatives in China

• E-commerce Marketing of Agricultural Products in China

• Rural Construction and Governance

• Poverty Alleviation and Rural Revitalization

• Agricultural Machinery and Agricultural Products processing practice

The private sector was represented by the Managing Director for Sape Farm Dr Paul Bosowai Popora.

The training concluded with a certificate presentation to all participants.

Speaking during the official closing, Deputy Secretary Technical of the Ministry of Rural Development Hugo Hebala expressed profound gratitude on behalf of the Solomon Islands Government to the Government of PRC and its People for making the training possible.

“This collaboration has opened our eyes to new farming methods, from times before 1949 to the present day.

“The wealth of knowledge shared through this training and field trips has enriched our understanding immensely. As we reflect on the profound lessons learned during our training, we stand in awe of China’s remarkable journey through time. It brings to mind the ancient Chinese proverb: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” and China has taken countless such steps in its quest for progress.

“We deeply admire China’s unwavering commitment to developing regulations and policies that rejuvenate development in (its) rural areas. Your dedication to poverty alleviation in specific regions of the country resonates with the famous Chinese saying: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,” Mr Hebala emphasized.

He said China’s excellent infrastructure, including well-maintained roads, reliable electricity, and efficient communication networks, provides the essential foundation for rural development in its country.

Meanwhile, Mr Hebala stated that whatever relevant knowledge acquired from the training will be applied to elevate economic and development cooperation between both countries.

“You have given us new ideas and insights on how we can propel development in our country based on areas of comparative advantages to us,” he added.

Hebala also commended the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Administration and Management Institute, MARA PRC for the opportunity given to learn about China’s agriculture and rural development programs and models.

“We believe the world is changing and, so, how we address different issues related to agriculture and rural development in our countries.

“We are very encouraged and inspired by the training and we will do our very best to customize and contextualize China’s experiences and successes to the challenges that we continue to face in our country and China will always remain a friend that we can depend on for technical assistance.

“Learning and exchanging new knowledge and ideas will help our country to see where we can help to improve some of the agriculture and rural developments gaps in our country adding, whatever relevant knowledge acquired from the training will be customized and contextualized to enhance economic and rural development in Solomon Islands,” he said.

At the same time, Vice-President of AMI, MARA Ms. MO Dan acknowledged the Solomon Islands delegation for their support and cooperation during the duration of the training and she said she is looking forward to meeting some of the participants again in similar trainings in the future.