AGRA

By Cheng Cheng

AGRA co-hosted a workshop on Africa-China Agricultural Mechanization and Digitization Cooperation the first of it kind. The event was co-hosted by China Association of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers (CAAMM) and Hello Tractor. It was held under the theme of “Agricultural Mechanization and Digitization: A Pathway to Sustainable Transformation of Food Systems, Youth and Female Employment, and Food Security in Africa”.

The seminar brought together representatives from the Chinese government, agriculture-related international organizations, domestic and international financial institutions, and Chinese agricultural machinery manufacturers.

The seminar, which included three sub-forums focused on different topics, was co-chaired by Dr. Cheng Cheng, Lead of Asian Partnerships at AGRA, and Wang Fengde, Deputy Secretary-General of CAAMM. Tang Zhongdong, Consul General from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Prof. Chen Zhi, President of the CAAMM, attended the seminar and delivered opening remarks.

Consul General Tang Zhongdong pointed out that in recent years, China-African economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly. Chinese enterprises have significant agricultural investments in Africa. However, the proportion of cooperation in the agricultural machinery industry is relatively low. He hopes that this seminar will enhance the depth and breadth of China-African cooperation in agricultural mechanization and digitization, break through the bottlenecks in China-Africa agricultural machinery industry cooperation, explore greater potential for China-African agricultural cooperation and provide diversified and innovative cooperation models. China welcomes all parties to join forces to implement the “Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization”, making new and greater contributions to building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

President of CAAMM, Chen Zhi put forward several requirements and hopes. First, he urged agricultural machinery enterprises to cooperate with Africa in a timely and appropriate manner, emphasizing the importance of understanding local cultures and respecting local customs to ensure sustainable development. He pointed out that professional organizations like AGRA could provide more assistance to Chinese agricultural machinery enterprises in their cooperation with Africa. Second, he called for agricultural machinery enterprises to improve their risk resilience in cooperation with Africa by adopting Hello Tractor’s advanced digital management methods and service models to ensure effective operation across production, sales, and after-sales services. Third, he stressed the importance of product quality and stability, noting that product quality is fundamental to the survival and development of enterprises. It’s also important to improve after-sales service levels to create globally recognized Chinese agricultural machinery. He expressed that the China Agricultural Machinery Industry Association is committed to supporting industry development, acting as a bridge and link for communication and cooperation, and proactively providing more professional and development-oriented services for China-Africa agricultural mechanization and digitization cooperation.

CEO Jahiel Oliver introduced Hello Tractor’s advanced experience in agricultural machinery leasing, management, and services tailored to Africa’s actual needs and discussed prospects for the future development of China-Africa agricultural mechanization and digitization cooperation.

The seminar then delved into the pain points and challenges in the development of China-Africa agricultural mechanization and digitization cooperation. Participants proposed development strategies focused on policy support, financial matching, integration of machinery and agronomy, and training exchanges, emphasizing trade-first, industry-matching, and trade-industry linkage approaches. Representatives from invited agricultural machinery enterprises communicated fully with international agricultural organizations and financial institutions in a Q&A format, reaching cooperation intentions.

Before the seminar, a delegation from AGRA, Hello Tractor, and WINGI INC visited several major agricultural machinery manufacturing companies, including YTO Group, Weichai Lovol, Changzhou Dongfeng, Changfa Agricultural Machinery, and Shandong Wuzheng.