Plastic rice reports are false, China firmly states

THE Chinese government has trashed rumours doing the rounds, linking the East Asian economic giant with plastic rice, reiterating that its rice was safe.

At a press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, while fielding questions from journalists, China’s Minister for Agriculture, Mr Han Changfu, said he has neither heard nor seen such a thing.

The minister was asked to comment on rumours trending on social networks associated with alleged substandard rice flooding African markets. The Tanzanian government, through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, did, in July last year, allay fears over the plastic rice saga, denying reports over the presence of such fake merchandise in the local market. “China’s rice is safe.

I haven’t heard the rumours you have heard. I have never seen that as a minister for agriculture,” Mr Han told the tightly-packed conference. Meanwhile, the minister affirmed that the country was willing to share its development in knowledge, experiences and agricultural technologies with African andthrough both multilateral and bilateral cooperation.

He was responding on a question centred on how African countries could learn from China on food self-sufficiency and improved agricultural practices. Tanzania and China have solid cooperation in the agricultural sector and have already agreed on major issues that would turn it around for their mutual benefit.

The Chinese government has helped to establish rice farms, sugar refineries, agrotechnical stations and agricultural technology demonstration centres in Tanzania. In January this year, the Chinese Vice Minister for Agriculture, Mr Qu Dongyu, visited Tanzania and held talks with his counterpart, and agreed on deepening cooperation in agroproduct processing and trade, and human resources development, water resources management.

Mr Han said China and Africa enjoyed a very good relationship and bilateral cooperation, for the benefit of both sides. He noted that the second largest world economy had established agricultural pilot zones in 14 African countries where they showcased Chinese technology. “We are also engaged in training personnel, inviting experts from Africa and government officials related with agriculture just to ensure that the continent attained food security,” he asserted.

Mr Han added that China was very committed to help develop African countries in agriculture, employer training and support for local companies. “China will continue to offer condition-free assistance to African countries by training agricultural technicians, providing agricultural machinery and supplying various fertilisers,” Mr Han remarked, adding that no strings were attached to Chinese agricultural sector cooperation and food s