Category: Agriculture
Hunan’s Trade With Africa is Up 90% in 2023
The central Chinese province of Hunan has spent years positioning itself as an African trading hub, and according to the latest customs data, its efforts are now paying significant dividends. Trade between the province and African countries surged by 90% in ...
23 Tons of Kenyan Avocados Sold Out on the Day They Arrived in Hunan Province
Kenyan avocados are once again flowing into the Chinese market, but not soon enough for many buyers who snapped 23 tons of the fruit that arrived last month in the Hunan capital of Changsha in central China. Changsha is fast emerging ...
Connecting the Dots: China’s Hebei Province and Africa
Beyond the central government and the Chinese Communist Party, China's engagement with African countries is increasingly being driven by its provinces. Hebei, the crescent-shaped province circling Beijing, is a key example. We tracked how Hebei is boosting China's presence in Africa across three different sectors:
Chinese-Funded, Constructed Dams Prioritized in Zimbabwe’s Irrigation and Energy Plan
Zimbabwe is accelerating the construction of 12 large dams to irrigate at least 350,000 hectares by 2025 and generate hydropower while also providing potable water. The acceleration plan is meant to increase land acreage under irrigation with farmers in Zimbabwe ...
The Far-Reaching Consequences of China’s Demand for African Donkeys
Elephants, rhinos, and lions usually come to mind first in discussions about the China-Africa animal trade, not donkeys. But surging demand for donkey hides used to manufacture a Chinese traditional medicinal product is having a devastating impact on rural populations across ...
Chinese Company Commences Construction Works After 5-Year Delay as Kenya Turns to Mega Dams for Irrigation
China’s Sinohydro Corporation and Engineering has received the green light to commence works on the $135 million Mwache Multipurpose Dam project in Kenya’s Kwale County. Launched by President William Ruto on Thursday, the long-awaited project is scheduled for completion in 2026. ...
China Ramps Up Brazilian Corn Imports
A ship carrying 51,200 tons of corn became the first Brazilian vessel to dock at Jiangyin Port on the Yangtze River, with ships from the agricultural giant delivering 2.4 million tons of grain in total. The delivery comes as Brazil (the second largest corn exporter in the ...
U.S. Panic About Chinese Land Grabs Echoes Africa
Recent reports in the right-leaning press in the United States claim that China is escalating purchases of American farms. This drumbeat is partly in support of the proposed Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) act. The bipartisan measure would block investments ...
Fun Fact: China’s Unexpected Corn Boom
Many would be surprised to hear the results of new research showing that China now produces more corn than rice. And its need for biofuels, starches and animal feed is so big it also imports huge amounts from other corn producers like Brazil.
Will Infrastructure Boost African Growth? Maybe Not, Says Economist
The Kenyan economist David Ndii published a fascinating paper casting doubt on one of the most fundamental assumptions in Africa-China relations: that the key to boosting growth is infrastructure. Ndii, a prominent critic of the ‘first build a road’ infrastructure-focused orthodoxy, ...