On May 10, the Training Course on Integrated Pest Management of Tropical Crops in Grenada was opened online, and will last for three weeks. This seminar is sponsored by Ministry of Commerce of China and organized by Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. Over 30 Grenadian participants attended the training course.
H.E. Wei Hongtian, Chinese Ambassador to Grenada; H. E. Abbie S. David, Grenadian Ambassador to China, Ms. Sabrena Layne, Senior Human Resource Management Officer of Department of Public Administration of Grenada, Mr. Trevor Thompson, Acting Chief Agriculture Officer of Ministry of Agriculture of Grenada attended the opening ceremony.
In her remarks, Ambassador David expressed her gratitude to the Chinese government and people for the continuous support to Grenada in agriculture and other sectors. She said that this invaluable training course is timely and will help to increase food security and promote sustainable development of Grenada.
Following is the remarks delivered by Ambassador Wei Hongtian at the ceremony:
H.E. Abbie S. David, Ambassador of Grenada to China
Ms. Sabrena Layne, Senior Human Resource Management Officer, Department of Public Administration of Grenada
Mr. Trevor Thompson, Chief Agriculture Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Forestry of Grenada
Mr. Li Xie，Deputy Director of Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce of China
Dr. Liu Guodao, Vice-President of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences
All Participants
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning and good evening!
I am glad to attend the opening ceremony of Training Course on Integrated Pest Management of Tropical Crops in Grenada. First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Grenada, I would like to express sincere thanks to the organizer, sponsor and all friends involving in the preparation of this training course for their well-done work.
It was worthy to mention that China organized Online Seminars on “Production Management of Beekeeper Professional Cooperatives", and Fishery Development for Grenada last year. This Pest Management Course is organized by the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences situated in Hainan province of China. Hainan province is located in the southern part of China, close to the South China Sea. It is the only province in China that is completely tropical. It is also both a maritime and island province which has the largest sea area and the smallest land area in China. The Hainan Island is located in the northern edge of the tropics and has many similarities with Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique in terms of geographical and topographical features, natural scenery, climate conditions, tropical plants, crops, insect pests and diseases. So I believe the two sides have a lot in common in the development of agriculture. As we know that the tropical geographical location and natural environment conditions are not only suitable for the plantation of crops, but also for the growth and reproduction of various diseases and insect pests, posing a threat to the ecological environment of agricultural production, food security, export trade and even social stability. So, it is very important to strengthen the monitoring and forecasting, prevention and control, emergency response and treatment and other supervision and management activities of insect pests.
The Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences is very experienced on insect pest management of tropical crops, so I am sure that this training course will render help for Grenada on pest control，and further promote the exchanges and practical cooperation between China and Grenada in the field of agriculture.
Amb. Abbie David, ladies and gentlemen,
Agriculture is one of the pillar sectors in Grenada, vital to the livelihood of farmers and food security of the country. The introduction and promotion of new technology, the modernization of agriculture can improve production environment, increase agricultural output, reduce poverty level, boost access to nutritious and affordable food, and build resilient and sustainable livelihoods, which will also drive progress towards the realization of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), namely no poverty, zero hunger, reduced inequalities and etc. It is also important to raise the living standard of the people in rural communities, generate increased levels of foreign exchange from the export of economic crops, and bolster food security through the expansion of staple crops. In this regard, investing more in agriculture means a lot. It is highly appreciated that the Grenadian Government is putting more resources, and working closely with farmers, investors, stake holders, international partners to develop a modern, resilient and sustainable agricultural development system, and move forward to increase self-sufficiency in the sector. I hope this training course will render support in the above-mentioned endeavor.
Amb. Abbie David, ladies and gentlemen,
China attaches great importance to the friendly relations and cooperation with Grenada, and agriculture has been a focal point of bilateral practical cooperation between our two countries. The China-Aided Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project in Grenada has been implemented for 7 consecutive phases for the past 16 years and has yielded fruitful results that benefit the local farmers and promote agricultural modernization. I want to announce that the Chinese Government has agreed to undertake the Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project Phase 8, and last month, I have signed the Exchange of Letters with Hon. Peter David, Minister for Agriculture of Grenada on the implementation of this project. China will soon dispatch to Grenada 8 agricultural experts respectively specialized in plant protection, garden, fruit, vegetable, livestock, tissue culture, irrigation, agricultural machinery to implement the project, and the duration of the project will last three years. It is no doubt that the phase 8 cooperation will further booster the dynamics of agricultural transformation, and make more contribution for the socioeconomic development of Grenada. On this occasion, I would like to assure you that the Embassy of China will continue to cooperate closely with the Ministry of Agriculture of Grenada and other partners to implement small scale agricultural projects such as water supply project, irrigation project, donation of agricultural materials for the benefits of the local community and farmers in the rural areas.
Amb. Abbie David, ladies and gentlemen,
Human resource training and scholarship programs also form important part of cooperation between China and Grenada. Since the resumption of diplomatic ties between China and Grenada in early 2005, more than 1900 Grenadian friends have attended seminar，workshops or short-term training courses under China-Aided Training Programs, and about 230 Grenadian students were granted full scholarships under the Chinese Government Scholarship Programs and MOFCOM Degree Education Programs. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years，we have to change to online training, and the newly recruited students also have to choose online study. The pandemic is still wreaking havoc all over the world and Grenada was no exception. Although Grenadian economy has continued along the road to recovery, and social activities gradually resume to some extend of normalcy in the past few months, we need to sustain the efforts in the fight against the pandemic until we gain total victory over it. It is my sincere hope that everything will get back to normalcy soon and such training program could be physically held in China.
Amb. Abbie David, ladies and gentlemen,
I assure you that China will continue to render all kinds of assistance and support to the agricultural development as well as other sectors of Grenada within our capacity, and deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation through bilateral mechanism and under the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) and Global Development Initiative(GDI) put forward by China to benefit our two nations and peoples. Let us join hands and spare no efforts for a better environment, better production conditions, better harvest, better food security, better nutrition, better livelihood, and for common development and prosperity.
In conclusion, I wish this training course a full success!
Thank you.