Iraqi officials visit an agricultural industrial park in Minning Township of Yongning County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, April 22, 2024. (Xinhua)
YINCHUAN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- During her first visit to China, Noor Mahdi Naqee, senior chief physicist of the Ministry of Water Resources of Iraq, was excited to find a smart system solution that can be implemented in Iraq.
At an agricultural industrial park in Minning Township, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Naqee had her attention fully absorbed in a smart system which intelligently controls the growth as well as the use of water and fertilizers.
Iraq is also afflicted by problems such as water shortages and desertification, she noted. "Here in Ningxia, we see the best management of lands and the best way to save water. We are really in need of smart irrigation," Naqee said, adding that China's experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalization, which she learned in Minning, also offers very valuable lessons worth learning from.
Naqee was among a delegation of 34 officials from Iraq's 16 departments, coming to attend a seminar on climate change and sustainable agricultural development for Iraq.
The seminar, which concluded on Sunday in Yinchuan, the regional capital, provided an opportunity for Iraqi officials to gain an in-depth understanding of the policies, measures, models and technologies of China's agricultural development through lectures, visits, discussions and exchanges.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of China and spanning two weeks, the seminar consisted of two parts, with the first week in Beijing focusing on lectures and discussions, along with several field trips in Ningxia.
"Through the combination of theory and practice, the event aims to help the participants have a more comprehensive understanding of China's measures and attempts to tackle climate change, achieve sustainable agricultural development, and develop appropriate ways accustomed to their own conditions," said Peng Bowen, an official with China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
In Ningxia, the officials visited 12 sites, pooling wisdom from China's saline-alkali treatment, anti-desertification, water-saving irrigation, smart agriculture and poverty alleviation.
Ahmed Oleiwi Gatea, chief agricultural engineer from Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture, was "very surprised" at how Chinese technicians turned saline-alkali land into high-yield fields through technological innovation after paying a visit to Tongfu Township, Pingluo County.
"I've seen very good techniques that they have been using here on this land. So I believe such techniques can be transferred to Iraq," said Gatea.
Hailing China for doing a "remarkable" job in technological innovation in the agriculture sector, he hopes more such practices can be applied in Iraq in the future. ■
