JINAN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A China-Senegal international training course on the full peanut industry chain was held in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.
Launched on July 6, the 15-day program brought together 14 Senegalese participants, including researchers, government officials and entrepreneurs.
The course focused on sharing China's experience in peanut cultivation, including water-saving techniques, pest and disease control and field management.
"We have been impressed by this training course, which strengthened our confidence in upgrading the peanut full industry chain in Senegal," said Ibrahima Sarr, director of the Senegalese Institute for Agricultural Research (ISRA).
Although Senegal is a major peanut-producing country in West Africa -- thanks to its vast land and abundant peanut germplasm resources -- local yields remain low and quality is unstable due to drought, inefficient farming practices, and pests and diseases. Progress in peanut processing also remains limited, said Aliou Faye, a specialist at ISRA.
As a leading player in China's peanut industry, Shandong ranks second nationwide in peanut planting area and leads the country in processing and export volumes.
According to Song Jinghua, head of the Shandong Peanut Research Institute (SPRI), the institute boasts strong research capabilities and has developed several high-quality peanut varieties.
China has long maintained agricultural cooperation with Senegal and provided tangible support to local communities in the African country.
According to Ibrahima Sory Sylla, Senegalese ambassador to China, the long-standing partnership between SPRI and ISRA dates back to 1988. In the following year, Senegal introduced a high-yield, drought-resistant peanut variety developed by SPRI, which has since become one of the major varieties cultivated in the country.
In recent years, Senegalese ministers of agriculture, ambassadors to China, and even presidents have visited Shandong on multiple occasions to promote cooperation in agricultural science and technology.
"By advancing the transformation and upgrading of the peanut industry chain, Senegal can promote its local peanut industry, spur the growth of e-commerce and other sectors, and thereby create more job opportunities," Sarr said. ■