November 27, 2008
North-west China Shaanxi explores animal feed exports to Tonga
The governor of Shaanxi province, Mr Yuan Chunqing is in Tonga, a country in the South Pacific Ocean, to discuss the possibility of producing animal feed for Tongan livestock.
The governor said Shaanxi could tap onto its strong expertise in production of animal feed since the province has a yearly yield of 10 million pigs with China's only agriculture high tech demonstration zone located in the province.
Mr Yuan added that one important objective of their trip was to see how they could assist Tonga in processing their own animal feed by making it from local resources such as taro, sweet potato and tapioca.
During the discussion, both countries expressed that the possibility of Shaanxi exporting animal feed to Tonga would be a win-win situation since China imports most of its animal feed and Tonga spends a hefty sum on meat imports.
The governor and eight members of his provincial government are currently in Tonga at the invitation of Tonga's prime minister to explore the possibility of producing animal feed for Tongan livestock, including pigs, chicken and ducks.
