China, along with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), will deepen cooperation in crop breeding and production with countries in Africa and South Asia, according to a forum held in Sanya, Hainan province, on Friday.
At the China-CIMMYT for South-South Cooperation Forum, experts discussed collaboration in wheat science, technology promotion, and training between China, CIMMYT, and the Global South, according to the organizer.
Wheat is the cornerstone of global food security, yet climate change has severely affected wheat production in low-latitude regions such as South Asia and Africa, said Hans Braun, a scientist with CIMMYT's Global Wheat Program.
Over the past 50 years, CIMMYT's varieties and farming technologies have contributed to the development of wheat in South Asian countries, such as Pakistan, and African nations. However, there is a growing need to strengthen disease- and stress-resistant breeding as well as training, he said.
Chinese and Pakistani scientists have jointly developed two high-yield wheat varieties that could be approved for commercial production in Pakistan this year. These new varieties have strong resistance against yellow rust — a destructive crop disease widespread in Pakistan — and are expected to significantly boost local wheat output.
Awais Rasheed, a scientist with the China-Pakistan Joint Wheat Molecular Breeding International Lab, said South-South collaboration, especially between Chinese institutes and other developing countries, could promote the use of molecular breeding for the rapid development of elite cultivars.
Based on the current collaboration, China will fully leverage its advantages in varieties, technology, and talent to enhance the impact of South-South cooperation, said He Zhonghu, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
He, who is also the country representative for the China office of CIMMYT, said the forum aims to promote exchanges between China, CIMMYT and the Global South in various fields such as maize and wheat variety improvement, crop management, and loss reduction during grain processing.
China and African countries will enhance cooperation in the monitoring and prevention of diseases and pests such as fusarium head blight by sharing experience and technology in cultivating fusarium-resistant wheat varieties. This collaboration is expected to help increase local wheat production, experts said during a discussion panel.
The involvement of CIMMYT, and World Food Program of the United Nations, will strengthen this collaboration among Global South, said Jia Yan from World Food Program China.
In addition, short-term training and seminars will be carried out both in China and overseas, with provincial agricultural academies and related universities participating.
