Ambassador Zheng Bingkai Attends Harvest Ceremony

The Third Phase of the China-Aided Upland Rice Cultivation Project in Barbados

On July 8, H.E. Ambassador Zheng Bingkai attended the harvest ceremony of the third-phase trial planting of the China-aided Upland Rice Cultivation Project in Barbados. The event was witnessed by Barbados’ Minister of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security, Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, and Minister of Technical and Vocational Training, Sandra V. Husbands, both of whom delivered remarks. Over 60 attendees were present, including officials from the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), relevant government agencies, and farmer representatives.

In his address, Ambassador Zheng noted that agricultural cooperation represents a vital area of practical bilateral collaboration and a key contributor to the well-being of the people. He stressed that the successful trial cultivation of upland rice holds great significance for Barbados’ food security. Ambassador Zheng reaffirmed China’s commitment to providing continued agricultural technical support, helping Barbados and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean to strengthen their autonomous development capacity.

Both Minister Munro-Knight and Minister Husbands highly commended and expressed sincere gratitude for China’s longstanding support for Barbados’ agricultural development. They highlighted that in 2023, agricultural experts from Hunan Province achieved a “breakthrough from zero” in upland rice cultivation in Barbados for the first time, and have since made notable progress in technical demonstration and training. The Barbadian side looks forward to leveraging the success of the third-phase trial planting as an opportunity to deepen agricultural technology cooperation between the two countries, thereby accelerating the realization of Barbados’ food self-sufficiency and food security.