“The agricultural technology taught by Chinese experts has benefited me, my family, and many nearby farmers,” 24-year-old Suriname farmer Astrando Liveld told reporters, which he could not have imagined two years ago.
The technical assistance project of the China Aid Suriname Agricultural Technology Cooperation Center is located in the Salamaka District, about an hour and a half drive from the center of the Suriname capital city Paramaribo. Liveld is a farmer near the project site and also a staff member of the project. He has been working here since the project was launched in November 2022.
When the reporter walked into the project site to visit, Liverde was in the fruit and vegetable greenhouse, cooperating with Chinese expert Su Lirong to give a demonstration class to the trainees of the local agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishery department. Liverde completed the land preparation, planting, and watering in one go.
Liverde said that he is also a major grower, owning 8 hectares of land to grow crops such as passion fruit and bitter gourd, which supply the local market in Paramaribo. He also hired three employees to assist in management.
“Through my work in the project, I learned from Chinese experts about techniques such as soil preparation and planting, precision fertilization, and pest identification and management. I then applied these techniques to my own crop cultivation and taught them to my family,” Liveld told reporters. “With technical assistance, my income increased from 2000 Suriname dollars per week to 5000 Suriname dollars (1 Suriname dollar is approximately 0.029 US dollars).”
The reporter asked Liveld why he continued to work on the project when he couldn’t even get busy with work in his own field?
“Agricultural technology is constantly advancing, and only by working here can I learn more knowledge from Chinese experts in the first place,” he replied with a smile.
Learning while working is not an exception for Lewandowski. Many local employees in this project work while imparting the skills they have learned to their relatives and friends.
It is reported that the technical assistance project of the China Aid Suriname Agricultural Technology Cooperation Center will carry out experiments on crop introduction, breeding, breeding, and cultivation, as well as provide agricultural technology training and promotion to local large-scale growers, agricultural and fishery department staff, and farmers near the project base. The plan is to hold 10 centralized training courses, with an estimated total of more than 300 people trained. The third training session is currently underway.
Su Lirong from Hunan told reporters, “Being able to truly help more locals is a great sense of achievement.”
Su Lirong said that the cooperation center has won the trust and love of local farmers, and many people come to seek advice with questions. Suriname government departments often organize Chinese experts to conduct research and guidance on local farms and production bases.
Officials from the Suriname Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries, Yason Buck, told reporters that some local agricultural technicians often come to the center to participate in training, and then bring the learned skills back to the farmers around them. They are full of enthusiasm for learning Chinese technology, rain or shine. “We have collaborated quite well with Chinese agricultural experts, with the same goals and working together.” (Participating journalist: Li Mengxin)