Xinhua Silk Road - Belt and Road Portal, China's silk road economic belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Website Xinhua Silk Road - Belt and Road Portal, China's silk road economic belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Website
Subscribe CustomBlackClose

Belt & Road Weekly Subscription Form

download_pop

Research ReportCustomBlackClose

The full edition of the report is available at Xinhua Silk Road Database. You can click the “Table of Content” to have a general understanding of it.

Click on the button below to create your account and get immediate access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial

Xinhua Silk Road Database
Industry

(Hello Africa) Chinese agricultural technologies attract visitors at Africa fertilizer expo

May 11, 2024


Abstract : Benedict Russo, a farmer in his late 40s, was among the hundreds of visitors who attended the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, to explore the latest agricultural technology products on display.

214015707703406593.jpg

An aerial drone photo, taken on April 3, 2024, shows a city view in Nairobi, Kenya. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

Benedict Russo, a farmer in his late 40s, was among the hundreds of visitors who attended the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, to explore the latest agricultural technology products on display.

NAIROBI, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Benedict Russo, a farmer in his late 40s, was among the hundreds of visitors who attended the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, to explore the latest agricultural technology products on display.

During an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, Russo expressed his delight at discovering the stand by DJI, a Chinese technology company that manufactures drones, as he sought the latest agricultural solutions to boost his farm yields.

The father of three, who owns a cotton farm in the southeastern Kenyan county of Kitui, said he is interested in acquiring a drone to monitor the health of cash crops on his expansive farm. "The agricultural drones will enable me to detect early signs of disease without the use of many laborers at the farm," Russo explained, hoping that by purchasing the drones, he would reduce his operating costs and boost profits.

Steven Dai, a sales executive at DJI, said that their drones are equipped with the latest technology for efficient aerial surveying of large parcels of land at minimal cost.

DJI drones, with high-resolution cameras, facilitate precise spraying of pesticides for better results compared to manual back-carried sprayers, he added.

214015709339185153.jpg

China's Ambassador to Botswana Wang Xuefeng (L) and Karabo Gare, Botswana's minister of agricultural development and food security, pose for a photo during the handover ceremony at Leshibitse, a village 124 kilometers from Gaborone Aug. 26, 2021. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

The three-day fertilizer summit, themed "Listen to the Land," began Tuesday and drew over 2,000 attendees, including foreign donors, scientists and agriculture officials. Convened by the African Union (AU), the Kenyan government and multilateral partners, the summit is expected to adopt a new roadmap for revitalizing soil health in Africa.

Kenyan President William Ruto called on African leaders to adopt strategies to make fertilizer affordable and accessible to farmers.

"Our focus should not only be on increasing fertilizer usage but also on ensuring its judicious application to revitalize responsive soils and rehabilitate degraded ones," he noted.

Wilberforce Khaminwa, a 39-year-old wheat farmer from Narok County, said that participating in the summit enabled him to interact with the latest Chinese agricultural products.

"I prefer Chinese machinery because their spare parts and after-sales support are more readily available in Kenya," he added.

Paul Ronoh, principal secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said that the summit also aimed to showcase the latest products to enhance the productivity of Kenya's agricultural sector.

Scan the QR code and push it to your mobile phone

Keyword: agriculture China-Africa

Write to Us belt & road login close

Do you want to be a contributor to Xinhua Silk Road and tell us your Belt & Road story? Send your articles to [email protected] and share your stories with more people.

Click on the button below to create your account and get im http://img.silkroad.news.cn/templates/silkroad/en2017te access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial

Ask Us A Question belt & road login close

If you have any questions, please enter them in the box below.

Identifying code Reload

Write to Us belt & road login close

Do you want to be a contributor to Xinhua Silk Road and tell us your Belt & Road story? Send your articles to silkroadweekly@xinhua.org and share your stories with more people.

Click on the button below to create your account and get im http://img.silkroad.news.cn/templates/silkroad/en2017te access to thousands of articles.

Start a Free Trial