14.11.2017 / Signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between APACCCEEC and HHRRC
In the period November 6-7th, Chinese delegation from China National Hybrid Rice R&D Center – Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center (HHRRC), Changsha city, Hunan province, China visited the Association for the Promotion of Agriculture Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (APACCCEEC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Republic of Bulgaria. The purpose of the visit was the implementation of the Project for establishing “16+1 Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park”.
During 1970s, the Director of the HHRRC professor Yuan Longping discovered and developed new sort hybrid rice which is more productive than normal rice. He is knowns as “The father of hybrid rice” to the world and in China. He is the winner of the World Food Prize 2004, Wolf Prize in Agriculture 2004, Confucius Peace Prize Laureate 2012, which is similar to Nobel Prize, and other numerous awards and achievements. In the year of 2014 he was nominated for Nobel Prize, for achievements in the fight against world hunger.
The Chinese delegation from HHRRC visited the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Republic of Bulgaria, where a work meeting with experts from the sector was hold. There was a discussion about the specifics of how the project mentioned above will be implemented and developed. On the meeting there were representatives from Directorates “European Coordination and International Cooperation”, “Biological Agriculture and plant growing” and “Market measures and producers organizations” from Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, representatives from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, also the Executive Director of “State Agency variety testing, approbation and seed inspection”, as well as the Executive Director of APACCCEEC were present.
As a result of the visit, a Memorandum of cooperation between APACCCEEC and HHRRC was signed. During the visit the Chinese delegation visited as well the Agricultural University of Plovdiv, where a meeting with the Rector and Vice-rector of the University was held. Exactly there the practical implementation of the project “16+1 Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park” will take place. A Memorandum of Cooperation between HHRRC and Agricultural University – Plovdiv was signed, and according the memorandum next year in April experimental hybrid rice fields will be planted. The purpose of these experimental fields is to integrate and adapt new sorts high-yielding and high quality Chinese hybrid rice in Bulgaria.
At the same time the new sorts hybrid rice seeds will be send to the “State agency variety testing, approbation and seed inspection”, for further testing and after that they can be added to the National List of approved varieties.
