Samoa is one of the countries to benefit from China’s launched multiple agricultural technical assistance projects in the Pacific.

Samoa and Fiji have welcomed the China-aided agricultural technical assistance projects as they have helped the nations to further boost their economic and social development in recent years.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries launched the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector Plan, which is a plan to grow the industries and ensure there is more contribution towards the Gross Domestic Product.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Laauli Leuatea Polataivao Fosi told Xinhua that the island nation is so pleased to have the support from the Chinese government to develop its agricultural sector.

He said he was happy with the project which has led to an improvement of Samoa's agricultural production.

Located at the southward extension of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Pacific island nations are important economic and trade partners of China. Currently, China has inked Memorandums of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation with all 10 Pacific nations with diplomatic relations with China.

China has launched multiple agricultural technical assistance projects in these countries, including Samoa and Fiji. It has helped Pacific nations improve agricultural production capacity and food security by sending agricultural experts, building demonstration farms, training model farmers, promoting improved crop varieties and providing technical support.

According to Liu Zhiwen, leader of the China-Samoa Agricultural Technical Aid Project, agriculture is a key economic pillar in Samoa with over 80 per cent of families engaged in different forms of agricultural production.

Initiated in 2010, the project, which was divided into five phases with the latest being launched in March, aimed to help Samoan farmers enhance their sustainable livelihoods. China has sent experts from Hunan province to Samoa to set up demonstration farms so that Samoans could learn how to increase productivity and promote sustainable agriculture.

On the sidelines of this year's Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forest, which was just concluded in Fiji's third largest city of Nadi on Friday night, Liu told Xinhua that the project has so far proven to be a great success because through the project, modern agricultural technology facilities on greenhouse cultivation, high-yield fruit cultivation, organic fertilizer and soil improvement were set up in Samoa.

Besides the demonstration farms near Apia, Chinese experts have also established nine agricultural stations, cultivated over 100 model farms and provided agricultural training to over 10,000 farmers, he said.