As a major agricultural country in West Africa, Cote d'Ivoire has been involved in extensive agricultural cooperation with China, among which cocoa processing plants, rice cultivation bases and rubber processing plants are successful examples.

Cocoa processing plants developed

Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa, producing and exporting nearly 40 percent of the world's supply. However, the cocoa industry in Cote d'Ivoire faces an urgent need to improve the added value of products and achieve industrial upgrading.

According to the statistics of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), the global chocolate market is worth about 100 billion USD, of which only six percent of the output value flows to cocoa exporting countries, and two percent of it returns to cocoa farmers. Most Cote d'Ivoire cocoa farmers still live below the poverty line.

In 2018, Cote d'Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara visited China to attend the FOCAC. Guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, the two sides began cooperation in the field of cocoa processing.

In 2019, China Light Industry Nanning Design Engineering Co., Ltd. signed two general contracts with Cote d 'Ivoire: two new cocoa processing plants each with an annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons in Abidjan and the southwestern coastal city of San Pedro, and two cocoa warehouses in each location, with a storage capacity of 140,000 tons and 160,000 tons, respectively.

At present, in the PK24 Industrial Park on the outskirts of Abidjan, the cocoa processing plant contracted by the Chinese company is closer to completion, being the largest self-owned cocoa processing plant in the country.

About 82 percent of cocoa processing in Cote d 'Ivoire is currently in the hands of four global chocolate manufacturers. "This project is an important milestone in the development of the cocoa industry and is of great significance for the country," said Tang Chong, project manager of the cocoa processing plant in Abidjan, adding that the project covers an area of 21 hectares, including 67,000 square meters of cocoa bean warehouse and 18,000 square meters of processing workshop.

According to the project agreement, in the future, 40 percent of the products produced by the cocoa processing plant will be sold to the Chinese market.

Rice harvest boosted

Sun, conducive temperature and rain are the necessary conditions for rice cultivation, and Cote d 'Ivoire has the advantages in all three requirements. However, due to the lack of suitable rice varieties and advanced technical equipment, the local rice production has been low.

In 1997, the first Chinese Agricultural Assistance Mission (MATAC) visited the Guiguidou area, Divo Province in southern Cote d'Ivoire, helping local farmers with rice cultivation, repairing water conservancy facilities, and training technicians in the rice industry.

After nearly 30 years of committed efforts by Chinese agricultural experts, the quality of rice varieties in the Guiguidou area has been vastly improved through the use of four high-yield and high-quality rice varieties, resulting in higher rice yields, better crop quality and improved rice taste.

At present, the Guiguidou area is not only a demonstration base for agricultural cooperation between China and Cote d 'Ivoire, but also a well-known rice planting base in Cote d 'Ivoire.

Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, minister of agriculture and rural development of Cote d'Ivoire, said that support from partners is critical for Cote d'Ivoire to increase rice production and achieve rice self-sufficiency, according to Xinhua.

Rubber industry bouncing back

In addition to cocoa and rice, Cote d 'Ivoire is the largest producer of natural rubber in Africa.

However, due to a lack of processing plants in the rubber industry, exports are only low-value-added raw materials, which resulted in meager incomes for farmers.

In 2020, the first rubber processing plant in Cote d 'Ivoire was built by a Chinese company.

Two years later, a second plant was put into operation, bringing the total annual capacity to approximately 260,000 tons, equivalent to a quarter of the country's annual rubber production.

These plants process rubber, palm oil, cotton, soybeans and corn, which increases the value of agricultural products exported to international markets.

More than 1,000 local people are working at the two operational rubber plants, and the other two plants under construction will provide another 1,000 new jobs, boosting local economic development.

The agricultural sectors of China and Cote d'Ivoire, are highly complementary and the bilateral agricultural cooperation has broad prospects, said Li Chengyao, economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire.