The 8th ReCAMA Training and Study Tour for Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors was held in Nanjing and Wuhan, between 22-27 October in China. The event was organized in cooperation with the China Agricultural Machinery Distributors Association, China Agricultural Mechanization Association, China Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association and Nanjing Agricultural Mechanization Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China.
ESCAP-CSAM President made the opening speech of the event. Dr. Yutong Li said that 600 million small farmers contribute to approximately 35 percent of global food production; Therefore, he expressed the necessity of equipping small-scale farmers with “environmentally friendly, economically viable and socially inclusive agricultural techniques” to optimize the production process to increase their productivity and maintain food security.
In this context, the event focused on “Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization for Small Businesses”. A total of 34 exhibitors from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam exhibited automation technologies for greenhouse cultivation, small and medium-sized seedling transplanting machines, etc. in Suzhou, Wuxi, Zhenjiang and Nanjing. He visited enterprises and research institutes that provide and develop machinery and technologies suitable for small farmers, including small machinery and equipment for the production of vegetables and fruits, combine harvesters for various crops and others.
Additionally, a training session was also held during the event which is opened by ESCAP-CSAM President Dr. Li Yutong in Wuhan. At the session, Mr. Junqi Wu, Chief Advisor of the China Agricultural Machinery Distributors Association (CAMDA), and Mr. Chuansheng Zhang, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Department of the China Agricultural Mechanization Center (CAMC), made a presentation. The presentations focused on post-harvest and processing technologies and equipment, as well as special rental models for agricultural machinery in China. Post-harvest and processing technologies can significantly reduce post-harvest losses, and private leasing is a proven and feasible way to ensure smallholder farmers’ accessibility to agricultural mechanization technologies.
The 8th ReCAMA Training and Study Tour for Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers and Distributors ended in Wuhan with a visit to the China International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition (CIAME) 2023, where more than 2,000 exhibitors exhibited their products. At the opening ceremony of the fair, which was also attended by the Chinese Minister of Agriculture, ReCAMA was represented by TARMAKBİR Secretary General M. Selami İleri, who transferred the term presidency to Bangladesh, and Term President Alimul Ahsan Chowdhury (Bangladesh Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association). The fair, held on an area of 220 thousand m2, hosted more than 150 thousand visitors.
A B2B event was also organized by ESCAP-CSAM and China Agricultural Machinery Distributors Association during CIAME. More than 300 representatives from more than 20 countries participated in the program, which aims to strengthen regional connection and trade of sustainable agricultural machinery.
Photos from the fair: https://live.jimage.cn/g/ab3b898
United Nations ESCAP-CSAM bulletin on the programme: https://un-csam.org/news/recama-enhanced-its-efforts-promote-sustainable-agricultural-mechanization-smallholders
