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German parliamentary state secretary for the Federation Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Dr. Gerd Müller, during an official trip to China, visited DLG Agriservice’s subsidiary China office, DLG AgroTechService in Beijing last week on 23 July 2009. The state secretary was welcomed by Bernd Koch, Managing Director of DLG-Agriservice.Sino-German agriculture cooperation takes a step forward, with an agreement for a joint agricultural machinery project inked last year by Müller and the Chinese vice-minister of agriculture Niu Dun.
Located in north-east China, the 2.5 million Euro project will demonstrate the application of advanced and innovative machinery on 1000 hectares of arable land using efficient farming methods. By using advanced German agricultural machinery and farming methods on a Chinese demonstration farm, stakeholders can see for themselves the tangible links between increased technological efficiency and better yields which ultimately contribute to increasing the global food supply. Particular emphasis is placed on soil conservation and water resources as well as reducing the use of fertilisers and crop protection. A training centre focusing on machinery and advanced and sustainable farming methods for the Chinese farmers will also be set up. Already the first training sessions have focused on the first demonstration farm crop of potatoes, summer wheat soya beans. Companies participating in the project include Claas, Lemken, Grimme and Rauch.
DLG AgroTech Service in China is one of the co-ordinators of the demonstration farm project, organised by both the Chinese and German ministries of agriculture.
Modernisation of agriculture has been a focal point in Chinese politics for some years now. The country has embarked on an extensive development programme to modernise the typical small farm as well as larger farms nationwide with increases in respective yields and financial returns. At the same time, China is encouraging cultivation systems that protect its water resources and the environment. The Chinese government increased agricultural machinery subsidies by 300 percent this year to 1.46 billion US dollars.
The inauguration of the demonstration farm, held 23 July, was officiated by PST Dr. Gerd Müller and China’s Vice Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun. Dr Müller invited the vice-minister to the DLG-organised exhibition Agritechnica 2009 in Hanover, the world’s largest exhibition for agricultural innovation and machinery.
The DLG’s office in China DLG (Beijing) Agricultural Technology Service co. Ltd, a subsidiary of DLG-AgriService, covers the entire agricultural and food industry, from machinery and technology, to bioenergy, crops and livestock farming. By working closely with Chinese partners, DLG AgroTech Service has since established a strong network within the Chinese agricultural community and organised a series of successful events that addressed key topics such as food safety, farming efficiency, and pig and poultry production. The office in Beijing is also responsible for Chinese participation at Agritechnica and EuroTier.
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