DUSHANBE, December 30, 2012, Asia-Plus – State and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and China in the field of agriculture was a major topic of a meeting of Mr. Yusuf Sultonnoyobov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Tajikistan with Mr. Go Junfeng, Deputy Head of the Department for International Cooperation, China’s Henan Province that took place in Dushanbe on December 28.

In the course of the talks, Mr. Go expressed satisfaction with the current level of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture and made a number of proposals on expansion of the agricultural cooperation in the future, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) press center.

He reportedly noted that entrepreneurs from Henan, who are engaged in agriculture, are ready to establish cooperation with their Tajik colleagues.  Chinese official outlined agricultural subsectors like cotton processing, fishery, livestock farming, production of agricultural machines and training of personnel for Tajikistan’s agrarian sectors, as areas of which could drive the bilateral agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

The sides also discussed a number of other issues related to bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and China’s Henan Province in the field of agriculture, the source said.

Henan is a province of the People''s Republic of China, located in the central part of the country.

Henan has seen rapid development in its economy over the past two decades, and its economy has expanded at an even faster rate than the national average of 10%.  This rapid growth has transformed Henan from one of the poorest provinces to one that matches other central provinces.  Henan is a semi-industrialized economy.  Agriculture has traditionally been a pillar of its economy, with the nation''s highest wheat and sesame output and second highest rice output, earning its reputation as the breadbasket of China.  Henan is also an important producer of beef, cotton, maize, pork, animal oil, and corn. Food production and processing make up more than 14% of the output from the province''s secondary industry.