AFTER a visit to northwestern China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, members of a German delegation were visibly impressed with what the region’s fertile land has to offer.

“We had the chance to taste the Ningxia food, and had great wine and Goji berries,” said Friederike Doerfler, agriculture and food counselor of the German Embassy in China, referring to the local specialties.

“All of us will bring those memories back to Beijing or wherever we go.”

The 15-member delegation, including representatives of the German Agricultural Society, known as DLG, and the country’s various agricultural firms, paid a four-day visit to Ningxia earlier this month, seeking more business opportunities in areas such as agricultural machinery, livestock breeding and winemaking.

Located in the Yellow River basin, Ningxia has a long farming history and boasts fine irrigation conditions. It is a producer of high-quality wine, Goji berries, milk, beef, mutton and organic vegetables.

“Having visited the high-standard farmland construction and the development of animal husbandry in the region, I saw some similarities between Ningxia and Germany in developing modern agriculture, which makes it possible for future cooperation,” said Leely Zhang, managing director of DLG.

In fact, advanced German agricultural machinery and equipment have already been widely used in the production of high-quality grain, vegetables and fruits, pasture and forestry in Ningxia.

“About 80% of our agricultural machines were imported from Germany,” said Wang Wei, general manager of an agricultural company in Ningxia’s Ningwu that sells about 14 tons of forage each year and owns two standardized breeding bases with more than 2,200 beef cattle.

Wang expected German manufacturers to invest and build factories in Ningxia so that local farmers can benefit from advanced agricultural machines at a lower cost.

A large part of the machinery Wang’s company uses was manufactured by CLAAS, a world-famous farm-machinery maker based in Germany.

“We always regard China as the most potential market,” said Zhang Jinwang, general manager of CLAAS China, who has visited Ningxia four times.

In recent years, exchange and cooperation between Ningxia and Germany have prospered in various fields. In 2022, Ningxia and Germany recorded 1.94 billion yuan (US$281 million) in imports and exports, up 134.4% year on year.

German firms have invested in 13 firms in Ningxia, involving the manufacturing of bearings and the lithium-ion batteries, said Fan Huafeng, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Ningxia’s regional Party committee, adding that modern agriculture has emerged as a new area of cooperation.

Hua Zhimin, director of Ningxia’s agriculture and rural affairs department, expected cooperation between Ningxia and Germany to be further strengthened in agricultural technology, machinery and equipment, smart agriculture and personnel training. (Xinhua)