BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Peru is a native place of potatoes, and China is a leading potato producing country in the world. The decades-long bilateral cooperation in potato research and breeding have yielded fruitful results.
Wang Jian, deputy director of the Qinghai Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, established his links with Peru when he visited the International Potato Center in 2004. Headquartered in the Peruvian capital Lima, the research institute boasts a large pool of potato seeds and genetic resources.
The center's agriculturist Victor Otazu was invited by Wang to visit China's Qinghai Province in the following year for collaborate in potato breeding and disease prevention.
Otazu found that the highlands there showed certain similarities with places where his experimental stations are located in Peru. The local climate and geological conditions were favorable for potato seed production, which means Qinghai could be an important potato producer.
The cooperation has allowed the province to make strides in potato breeding. The Qingshu-9 type of potato, which was bred in Qinghai, is now widely grown in China.
Qinghai also gives a helping hand to Peru, which has been challenged by climate change and pest harm in recent years. Many China-developed technologies regarding seed production and disease prevention have been applied in Peru, benefiting local farmers and improving their livelihood.
Thanks to his contribution to potato research and production in Qinghai, Otazu was honored with the Friendship Award by the Chinese government. The award is given to foreigners who have made important contributions to China's social and economic development, and in his case, to China's agricultural development.
Although Otazu has retired, his collaboration with China continues. He is proud of the decades-long agricultural collaboration with China, hoping that more benefits could be delivered through cooperation in increasing fields to people of the two countries.
Journalists: Wang Zhongyi, Zhang Duo, Xi Yue, Li Muzi, Zhang Long, Zhang Hongxiang■