From October 21 to 23, the 10th China-Germany Agricultural Week, themed “Ten Years of China-Germany Agricultural Cooperation: Building a Sustainable Future Together,” took place in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. Experts, scholars, business associations, and entrepreneurs gathered to engage in multi-dimensional discussions on sustainable agricultural development.
Jointly hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany, this Agricultural Week focused on promoting sustainability in agriculture through a series of events, including an opening ceremony and field visits.
At the opening ceremony, Li Jinghui, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, emphasized that over the past ten years, China and Germany have established a comprehensive strategic partnership that has led to an improved agricultural cooperation mechanism, steady economic and trade progress, and multi-faceted scientific collaboration. He noted that the China-Germany Agricultural Center has become a significant and influential platform for practical agricultural cooperation between China and Europe. Li expressed China’s willingness to deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation in rural development and technological innovation, leveraging the Agricultural Center’s role to contribute positively to global food security and sustainable development.
In recent years, Germany has invested in 26 agricultural projects in Jiangsu, totaling over $300 million. In 2023, the total import and export value of agricultural products between Jiangsu and Germany reached $250 million, a 36% increase year-over-year.
“Germany is Jiangsu’s largest trading partner in Europe, and our agricultural cooperation is thriving,” said Xia Xinmin, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province. He hopes this event will further deepen cooperation in agriculture between Jiangsu and Germany, facilitating the exchange of practices and experiences in precision agriculture, smart agriculture, digital agriculture, and ecological agriculture, while exploring broader cooperation in agricultural inputs, machinery, and deep processing of agricultural products.
As the host of this year’s China-Germany Agricultural Week, Yancheng boasts exceptional natural resources and agricultural production conditions. Currently, the city has 11.65 million acres of arable land and 4,553 square kilometers of coastal wetlands, featuring a diverse ecosystem that includes wetlands, oceans, and forests. Yancheng has maintained a stable grain output of over 14 billion pounds for nine consecutive years, contributing approximately 1% of the nation’s grain, 1% of its pork, 2% of vegetables, 2% of aquatic products, and 3% of eggs.
In 2015, the China-Germany Agricultural Demonstration Park was established at the Huanghai Farm in Xiangshui County, Yancheng. German experts collaborated with the farm to explore new paths in dryland farming, successfully trialing crops such as corn, soybeans, rapeseed, and broccoli. These new crops not only diversified the farm’s planting structure but also significantly improved soil conditions.
“Let’s seize this new opportunity to accelerate the development of China-Germany agricultural investment and trade, sharing agricultural technology innovations, resources, product quality, and ecological advantages,” said Wu Wei, Deputy Secretary of the Yancheng Municipal Committee. “We aim to deepen technical, industrial, and brand cooperation, creating a model of industrial brand development in Yancheng for both nations.”
