Western Province to benefit from Chinese expertise in agriculture

Western Province Governor Azath Salley and Vice Governor of Hainan Province Danyang Shen are seen during discussions at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo on Friday

By Mohammed Rasooldeen

Western Province governorate and Hainan Province in China will shortly sign an agreement to cooperate with each other to develop new techniques in agricultural projects in Sri Lanka.

The decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the two provinces was taken during a meeting held between Western Province Governor Azath Salley and Vice Governor of Hainan Province Danyang Shen at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo on Friday.

Deputy Director Finance at the Foreign Affairs Division of the Hainan Province, Zhou Ping was also present during the discussions.

Speaking to the press following the meeting, Governor Azath Salley said it was a fruitful meeting which has resulted in a tangible result where Sri Lanka will be benefited from Chinese expertise in the agricultural sector. “We will not only get highly sophisticated agricultural equipment to boost our agricultural projects but also we will have our agriculture staff trained by Chinese agriculturists in Sri Lanka.”

The governor said that on an invitation extended to him by the Hainan’s governor, he hopes to visit the province to see Hainan Free Trade Zone and also sign the agreement during his visit.

During the discussions, the Chinese governor Shen said that he has invited Sri Lanka to participate in its “Thousand enterprises from hundred countries” program. The purpose of this program is to attract trade-oriented foreign-funded enterprises to open offices in the Hainan Province. “It will be a window of global trade in par with international standards,” he noted.