Hon. Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture of China visited CIP headquarters on July 27. Dr. Pamela Anderson welcomed the Minister at the Biodiversity Complex where he was given a tour.
Dr. Anderson introduced Han by remarking: “Today Minister Han signed our visitor’s book. Looking through the book, we saw that the first Chinese representative signed the book on March 21, 1978. Our collaboration with China dates back 33 years. So here today we are celebrating a new stage of this rich, long relationship – which is almost as long CIP’s own history.”
Minister Han, who requested to visit CIP as part of his visit to attend the presidential inauguration of Ollanta Humala said: “I highly respect and appreciate CIP’s achievements accomplished through dedication and high scientific standards that are of historical importance. In China we now have 5 million hectares producing potatoes, or 80 million tons a year. Potatoes now play an important, growing role towards increasing farmer incomes and food security.”
“The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has given great importance to the potato. We have released technical documents to orientate potato producers effectively, as well as included this advantageous crop as a priority in our agricultural plan for the medium to long term,” he added.
“In my youth, I too, cultivated potatoes and my first leadership job was overseeing a potato flour factory. In fact, I have such affect for the potato that I just took a photo here at CIP with the God of Potatoes,” he remarked to an applauding audience.