Fan Haikuo (first from left), a researcher at the Institute of Coconut Sciences of the Institute of Thermal Sciences, presents the coconut products developed by the Institute to Micronesian students. Infographic
Coconuts are grown in the major hot zone countries along the "Belt and Road", and are the main cash crop in Southeast Asian countries and Pacific island countries. In recent years, the Coconut Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Coconut Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Thermal Sciences") has actively strengthened international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation with coconuts as a medium, and supported domestic agricultural enterprises to go global.
Use strength to help the coconut industry in other countries
In 2018, Fan Haikuo, a researcher at the Coconut Institute of the Academy of Thermal Sciences, traveled abroad almost every month, and successively went to eight or nine countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Micronesia. The purpose of going out is only one, to strengthen the cooperation and exchange of coconut industries between the two countries.
"Unexpectedly, The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, Christian, spent half a day receiving the expert group to discuss the training and resource census." Fan Haikuo said that what impressed him most was that President Mick highly praised the experts of the Institute of Thermal Science and Technology for bringing real and farmers' needed technology, and asked whether they could help them build a tropical crop science and technology demonstration park and was willing to provide land for free.
The Federated States of Micronesia is an important Pacific island country and an important partner country in China's "Belt and Road" construction. In order to welcome the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Michigan, in 2018, the expert team of the Academy of Thermal Sciences was appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to carry out a one-month training in the local area, mainly training local agricultural officials and large growers.
Under the leadership of local officials and technicians, the experts of the Institute of Thermal Sciences first conducted in-depth investigations of the basic situation of local coconut production, diseases and insect pests and crop resources at each place, and prepared lessons according to the different conditions of each state, and carried out training around practical technologies such as coconut variety identification, high-yield cultivation, comprehensive processing and coconut garden intercropping, comprehensive pest prevention and control.
Fan Haikuo said that due to the limited local office facilities, in order to let the trainees more intuitively understand the development status of modern coconut production, planting and processing industry, and guide the trainees to engage in simple coconut processing and production, the expert team of the Institute of Thermal Sciences specially consigned the printers, projectors and other teaching equipment required for the training course from China. Teach local growers how to cross-breed, multiply coconut seedlings, and identify pests and diseases.
The pace of scientific and technological exchanges between the major coconut producing countries along the "Belt and Road" is becoming more and more frequent and close, just like the busy figure of coconut industry experts such as Fan Haikuo.
Last year, under the mediation of the Coconut Institute of the Institute of Thermal Sciences, the Hainan Provincial Government signed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Science and Technology of Sri Lanka, which promoted the cooperation between Haijiao Group and Sri Lanka's Western Provinces to establish a rubber demonstration base. This is due to the close scientific and technological cooperation established by the Coconut Institute of the Academy of Thermal Sciences as early as 2003 with the Sri Lanka Coconut Research Institute, the Coconut Industry Bureau and other scientific and technological departments.
In 2016, the new coconut varieties "Wen Ye No. 3" and "Wen Ye No. 4" cultivated by the Coconut Institute of the Academy of Thermal Sciences were successfully tested in Laos. The Laotian side invited the institute to continue to provide new varieties of coconuts and sent experts to help develop the fresh coconut industry.
In the Maldives, more than 70% of trees are coconut palms. In recent years, the country's coconut trees have been invaded by coconut palm leaf beetles, causing great harm. After the Malaysian government applied for technical assistance from the Chinese government, the Coconut Institute of the Academy of Thermal Sciences sent experts to help the Maldives build a natural enemy factory and a joint laboratory of coconut pests, preserving the most beautiful scenery for this island country known for its scenery.
"Small coconuts, give play to the great role of science and technology diplomacy." In the view of Wang Fufu, director of the Coconut Institute of the Chinese Academy of Thermal Sciences, the Coconut Institute of the Thermal Science Institute can serve science and technology diplomacy, on the one hand, thanks to its own research strength, the institute is at the world's leading level in scientific research fields such as coconut variety breeding, pest control and hainan high-grade coconut gene sequencing; on the other hand, it is a long-term cooperative relationship with international research institutions, and with the support of the "Belt and Road" initiative, there are more opportunities to go out and obtain more information.
Use science and technology to escort agricultural enterprises to go global
The small coconut industry is limited by the area of domestic hot areas, and more and more agricultural enterprises have tried to go out in recent years. Climate, varieties, soil and other resource conditions and market conditions are not familiar, and enterprises need to be escorted by scientific research institutions when they go global.
Chen Daquan, chairman of Foshan Rainforest Import and Export Trade Co., Ltd., is one of the earliest merchants engaged in coconut bran imports in China, and he imports more than 20,000 tons of coconut bran from Southeast Asia to China every year. In the past two years, with the support of the Coconut Institute of the Institute of Thermal Sciences, the company has planted more than 10,000 acres of Wenye No. 4 dwarf coconuts in Cambodia.
The reason why dare to pull coconut seedlings from China at a high cost to plant in the past, Chen Daquan bluntly said that it is precisely because of the full scientific and technological support of the Coconut Institute of the Institute of Thermal Sciences from the land investigation and feasibility study of the early project to the breeding of seedlings after landing, planting management and product deep processing. There is no dwarf coconut in Cambodia, and the new varieties of coconuts are pure, high yield and strong resistance, which can be sold as fresh fruits and can also be processed with oilseeds.
Wenye No. 4 is an excellent dwarf coconut variety independently selected and bred by the Coconut Institute of the Institute of Thermal Sciences. As one of the member countries of the International Coconut Resources Network Organization, the Coconut Institute of the Institute of Thermal Sciences has maintained close contact and high cooperation with the world's main coconut producing countries, committed to the research of coconut germplasm resources and new varieties, built The only coconut germplasm resource garden in China, and preserved more than 100 coconut germplasm resources from all over the world.
With the help of the Coconut Institute of the Academy of Thermal Sciences, Rainforest Company also signed a cooperation agreement with the Royal Agricultural University of Cambodia, which effectively solved the problem of talent and scientific research site guarantee required by enterprises to develop abroad.
In order to let domestic enterprises more intuitively understand the development status of the international coconut industry, the Coconut Institute of the Institute of Thermal Sciences will organize a delegation to visit abroad every year. Fan Haikuo said that in 2015, the Thai Coconut Oil Conference organized more than a dozen domestic coconut companies to participate in the conference in Thailand, providing full translation and tour guides, and also organized everyone to visit the main coconut oil processing enterprises in Thailand to understand the local coconut oil production process and products and markets. At the same time, it also organizes domestic enterprises to go to Vietnam for inspection and exchange, helps Chinese-funded enterprises to investigate the production status of Vietnam, and provides technical support for them to build a coconut milk factory in Vietnam.
Use the platform to promote international exchanges and seminars
In addition to serving enterprises to go global, in 2016, the Coconut Institute of the Chinese Academy of Thermal Sciences also initiated the establishment of the Hainan Coconut Industry Innovation Alliance, and held three consecutive industry alliance conferences, inviting foreign coconut associations and enterprises to come to China for exchanges. The 2018 annual meeting attracted industry experts, government representatives and enterprise representatives from Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bangladesh and other countries along the "Belt and Road" major coconut-producing areas. There were in-depth discussions on international cooperation in coconut cultivation and processing, analysis of the current situation and investment of the global coconut industry, global oil and fat development trends and coconut oil industry outlook. During the meeting, the Indonesian Coconut Technology Association signed a memorandum of understanding with the Alliance to cooperate in the areas of technical information sharing, service provision, and joint activities.
Fan Haikuo, who is the secretary general of the Hainan Coconut Industry Innovation Alliance, introduced that in order to improve the international competitiveness of the domestic coconut industry, the Coconut Institute also collects international and domestic coconut industry information through its own scientific research and exchange channels, and provides free international mainstream coconut product price dynamic information and major scientific and technological innovation information to domestic enterprises for reference every month in the form of information dynamic briefings.
With the establishment of a number of international cooperation platforms such as the China-Malaysia Coconut Pest Joint Research Center, the China-Arab Date Palm Research Center, and the China-Cambodia Agricultural Experimental Station. The Coconut Institute of the Academy of Thermal Sciences will rely on these platforms and bases to better serve the country's science and technology diplomacy and help agricultural enterprises go global. (Reporters Cao Ge and Deng Weizhe)