Formally known as the Second Seminar on Agricultural Techniques for African Technicians, the class is meeting at Taichung in central Taiwan. The first seminar was conducted from April to October last year. Twenty-five agriculturalists from 11 countries participated. The size of the current seminar was doubled to meet the requests of African states.
The people of Africa eat corn, millet, tapioca, and potatoes as staple foods. To meet the needs of an increasing population, they are experimenting with new crops. The Chinese are competent to help because their experience in rice growing is as old as recorded history. Taiwan's per hectare (2.47 acres) yield of 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) in 1961 is one of the world's highest.
Before the 1962 seminar, many Africans doubted whether they could find new techniques that would be practical at home. However, they returned to Africa with enthusiastic reports that the Chinese way was adaptable and promised material agricultural progress.
Successes of Chinese demonstration teams in Liberia and Libya also were highly promising. Last July's first crop in Liberia was bountiful. The average yield of 4,700 pounds per acre for the second harvest in March was higher than for some rice-producing countries.
The seminars are operated by the Sino-African Technical Cooperation Committee, a quasi-government agency set up last year.
The first seminar was conducted in French. This year, it is divided into classes for French and English-speaking trainees.
Of the 31 French-speaking students, three each are from Chad and Senegal; two each from Cameroun, Central African Republic, the Congo (Brazzaville), the Congo (Leopoldville), Dahomey, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Niger, Ruanda, Togo, and Upper Volta; and one from Mauritania.
The English-language class has 18 trainees: nine from Kenya, four from Libya, three from Liberia, and one each from Cameroun and Zanzibar.
Chad, Cameroun, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Ruanda, Upper Volta, and Zanzibar did not send students last year.
The trainees are agricultural leaders and a number attended universities. The committee provides allowances for lodging, food, and laundry.
The seminar opened in Taipei February 15. Commencement exercises of a class for Chinese farm demonstration teams going to Dahomey and the Ivory Coast were held on the same occasion.
Presiding at the ceremony, Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Chi-tseng said Africa will play an important role in maintaining world peace and security. Improvement of livelihood of Africans, he said, will help check the influence of Communism.
Realistic Program
Yahaya Ould Menkous, information minister of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, then visiting free China, spoke on be half of the African trainees. Minister Menkous said that African peoples were grateful to the Chinese government for its efforts to help new African states gain independence economically as well as politically.
After a 10-day orientation course, the trainees went to Taichung. Alongside the railroad, they saw farmers harrowing paddy fields preparatory to the planting of rice.
The curriculum has been established in accordance with local farming time. It began with the selection of seeds, and the sowing and cultivation of seedlings. Trainees learned harrowing, transplanting from seedbeds, rotational flooding, and application of chemical fertilizer and compost.
Weeding will be conducted three times before the harvest. Time will be devoted to plant pathology, insect pests, and the uses of insecticides.
Other subjects include cultivation of upland rice, vegetables, and sugar cane; the use and maintenance of power tillers; paddy soil conservation; seed grading, storage, and improvement; irrigation facilities, farm demonstration and extension.
Application of Theory
Once theory is learned in the morning at the College of Agriculture of Chung Hsing University, trainees apply it at the Taichung District Agricultural Improvement Station in the afternoon.
Last year the seminar was divided into two groups. One group of 17 studied rice cultivation at Taichung. The other group of eight studied upland crops at agricultural institutions in Tainan, Chiayi, and Pingtung.
Trainees visit agricultural organizations and scenic spots weekly. On Saturday mornings, there is a Mandarin conversation lesson and some instruction in Chinese culture. Audio-visual aids are employed to dramatize the agricultural reconstruction of Taiwan.
Saturday afternoons and Sundays are free time. Trainees play ball, go to the movies, or take pictures.
Each Monday morning, trainees submit a written report on activities of the week before. They are free to criticize or ask questions about classroom lectures and field practice.
Language does not constitute a barrier between the trainees and farmers. Four French and two English-speaking interpreters are always at their service.
Ba N'diawar dit Zanzibar of Mauritania said he does not have difficulty in communicating with the Chinese people. "Although we cannot speak Chinese, we still can understand each other by friendly smiles and gestures," he said.
Ba N'diawar has visited many countries but finds that the Chinese are the easiest people with whom to make friends.
"I am treated like a brother in free China," he said. "In other countries, I have been treated as a guest. Only a few people talked to me."
Abdul Jabbar A. Babu is from Zanzibar. He said the African states have three common problems: lack of food, education, and medical facilities.
"I wish to thank the Chinese government," he said, "for bringing so many Africans here to study."
Taiwan buffalo is farmer's friend. Unlike the African species, the animal is rarely violent (File photo)
When Zanzibar becomes independent this year, Babu will suggest that his government invite Chinese demonstration teams to make an overall survey and recommend steps for agricultural development.
Zanzibar imports sugar from Taiwan and farming tools from Europe. Babu expects his country to purchase power tillers and weeding machines from free China. By graduation time, Babu hopes to be able to use draft animals and machinery as skillfully as Taiwan farmers.
Animal labor is rarely used in Africa. When the trainees first saw Taiwan's water buffaloes, they were frightened. Cape buffaloes in Africa are as fierce as lions, they said.
On Taiwan, water buffaloes are used mainly for paddy field plowing. Draft cows are for upland plowing and transportation. Farmers do not eat beef and treat cattle almost as family members. Many trainees have posed with water buffaloes and sent the pictures to their families.
In a report to the Libyan government, Nuri Ibrahim Hassan wrote that he was most impressed by Taiwan's soil conservation, irrigation, land reform, farmers' associations, and agricultural extension service.
Libya has more water than Taiwan. Unfortunately, Hassan said, Libyans do not know how to utilize it for agriculture.
Free China ranks among the top nations of the Far East in water development. There are 30 irrigation associations organized by 750,000 farmers. More than 95 per cent of farm families share benefits.
Rotational Irrigation
Rotational irrigation was introduced in 1956 to replace the old paddy practice of continuous flooding. Results show it not only saves water and prevents disputes but also increases production.
The Nile River runs through Ruanda. Sedecias Mugambira and Augustin Mafura said their country already has a plan to dig canals along the two embankments to flood paddy fields.
Rice has been planted experimentally by the Ruanda government. The two trainees will teach their farmers irrigation and rice cultivation. They are interested in tea, too. Taiwan tea is exported to Europe and north Africa, especially to Morocco.
Simpore Seydou Max was director of a rice cultivation demonstration station in Upper Volta. He learned the theory of rice culture in Mali and has a few years of field experience.
"I did not have enough experience in paddy fields," he said. "After working in the Taiwan fields, I feel confident that I can improve the irrigation system of my country. Taiwan farmers are fortunate because they do not have to worry about water. People of my country are eager to work, but efficiency is low because we are short of tools and water."
Simpore likes Cantonese food. Taiwan rice is full of starch and tasty, he commented.
Cotton is the principal crop of Chad, and Abou Jean Andre was involved in cotton production. However, he came to study irrigation and paddy rice because his country is constructing a dam in the southern region. When the dam is completed, he will be concerned with irrigation.
Many African farmers still burn over a piece of land before they plant. If the harvest is not good, they move on and burn over a new field. This is wasteful of land, even when it is plentiful, and trainees are learning new ways of field preparation.
Marcel Orongar of Chad said he had hesitated to come because he had been told Taiwan did not have enough food to eat. Then he found that China had a surplus for export. Taiwan's rice production in 1961 accounted for 40 percent of agricultural value.
Senegal produces a considerable quantity of rice but it is insufficient for domestic needs.
Landing Diedhiou said the Senegalese plant paddy rice in furrows. Farmers complain that the rice plants do not absorb enough water. In Taiwan, he found paddy rice should be grown in a flooded flat field.
Fertilizer is not used in Senegal because farmers believe it will only encourage the weeds. Diedhiou said he will try to convince his people that fertilizer is essential.
Claudius Cooper had worked with the Chinese demonstration team in Liberia for nearly a year. He did not find any surprises in Taiwan because he had read many books on China. He said:
"There would be no difficulty if I stayed here for five years. We have the same climate and also eat rice as a staple food."
Network of Farmers
Cooper has planted several varieties of Taiwan rice in Liberia. To him, the most impressive thing in Taiwan is the tight network of farmers, he said.
Liberia is one of the most developed countries in Africa, he said. Many women take part in politics, education, and medicine. An agricultural college is supervised by a Chinese expert.
Gabon, where farm experimentation has been conducted, is situated on high land. It is rich in manganese, uranium, and other minerals. Only upland rice is grown, but the government may try paddy rice along the coasts.
Michel Nzambe and Mbadinga Boulingui Hyacinthe said agricultural development was slow because most young men are interested in mining.
Tsonde Roger and Kondzo Valentin of the Congo (Brazzaville) want to become many-sided agronomists because their country is lacking in agricultural personnel. "We want to learn something of everything," they said.
Congolese eat tapioca. But the government attaches great importance to rice production. Bananas, coffee, and pineapples are exported to Europe.
Climate Too Cold
For most Africans, Taiwan's climate is inconstant and cold. But some think it is fun to have variety.
Aladji Kwami Cleophas and Nicolas Blao of Togo said: "We do not know what damage the typhoons will bring. However, we think typhoons may be good for crops because they will kill insects." They are interested in selection of rice seedlings and in studying plant diseases.
The Togolese were surprised that Taiwan shops are open on holidays and in the evening. They like the Chinese dumpling hsiao lung pao and spring rolls.
Mbang Nkwain Leo is the president of the English-speaking class. He was in charge of a farm extension station in Cameroun.
Paddy rice is called "swamp rice" in Cameroun because it is planted only in damp regions. Mbang hopes to grow rice by teaching new techniques to farmers.
Fertilizer is rarely used, he said. Nearly every farm family grows peanuts and beans so that leaves can be used as green manure.
The other two Camerounians are in the French-language class.
Charles Harry Rakotoniaina came from a rice-growing center of the Malagasy Republic.
Madagascar and Taiwan are similar in many ways. Both are islands. The former is off the southeastern coast of Africa, located much as Taiwan is to the Chinese mainland.
The Tropic of Capricorn runs through Madagascar, the Tropic of Cancer through Taiwan. Terrain and climate are similar. Both islands have a narrow eastern coast, a plains region in the west, and a central mountain range. The two islands produce rice, a similar variety of fruits, peanuts, and sugar cane. Madagascar grows coffee in place of Taiwan's tea.
Dense planting is secret of bumper harvest (File photo)
Rakotoniaina observed that Taiwan farmers are more progressive than those of his country. There are two or three rice crops a year. Between 1954 and 1961, the acreage yield of rice was doubled and planted area was expanded almost one-third. Factors in boosting yield were better seeds, specialized tools and fertilizers, and dense planting of seedlings.
One Harvest Annually
Malagasy farmers harvest rice once a year. Per hectare (2.47 acres) yield is around 1 metric ton (1.1 short tons), about a third that of Taiwan. Rakotoniaina also wants to study vegetable cultivation.
Augustt Frederic Carl of Dahomey said he is happy to be studying in free China but regrets that the training period is so brief. He hopes his government will send him back to study in a Chinese college.
Komengallot Theophile of the Central African Republic recalled that the Chinese government and people welcomed the trainees warmly at the Sungshan airport. "I hope more Africans will come here and see what free China looks like," he said.
Komengallot enjoys "Typhon" brand canned pineapple.
Taiwan is the largest exporter of canned pineapple in the world. Exports have increased 13 times in the last six years. In 1955, Taiwan exported 160,000 cases. In 1961, the total was 2,500,000 cases for earnings of US$11 million.
The pineapple plantation at Pingtung in southern Taiwan occupies nearly 3,000 acres and is the largest in the Far East. Before Taiwan was restored to China in 1945, the plantation was abandoned by the Japanese because of wilt.
Women Work Hard
People of the Ivory Coast eat corn. Rice is becoming popular, but productivity is low. Zohouribi Samy hopes to stay longer so that he can learn more and raise the yield.
Atama Christophe from the Congo (Leopoldville) said the Chinese people are hospitable. He said he thinks the Chinese women work as hard as the men.
Kenya is slated to become independent this year. Wallace Njiiri Gachao hopes that the Chinese government will send farm demonstration teams to his country to develop agriculture. He said: "Free China is not a friend, but a brother of Kenya."
Ayub Okoko has worked in the Kenya department of agriculture for 11 years. He feels that the training period is too short. Besides rice, he is interested in such dry land crops as cotton, pineapple, peanuts, and tobacco. Okoko commented that commodity prices in Taiwan are moderate. He will buy a chipao (Chinese women's dress) for his wife. His brother, David Omingo Ogelo, is also in the seminar.
George John Otieno, 16, is the youngest trainee. He was graduated from a Kenya school with honors. When returning home, Otieno wants to be able to take small machines.
The seminar will terminate at the end of June. Before departing, trainees will make a round-the-island trip to see economic reconstruction and the varied agriculture.
Third Seminar
A third seminar emphasizing upland crops is scheduled for Tainan in southern Taiwan later this year. At the request of many African states, it may be enlarged to accommodate more students.
Cooperation between China and Africa is not limited to agriculture. The remarkable achievements of Chinese farmers there and of trainees here have spurred the Africans to turn to Taiwan for other technical assistance.
A six-man medical mission is working in Tripoli, capital of Libya, under a two-year contract. Fisheries cooperation is under way with Madagascar and other countries.
Similar programs are under study for Latin America. Officials of Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay recently made inquiries of the Chinese government.
In May of last year, the Republic of China and Paraguay signed a 10-year treaty of trade and economic cooperation. At about the same time, the Dominican Republic invited a Chinese rice specialist, Dr. Chao Lien-fang, to serve as a technical advisor for two years.
Last January, two Brazilian agricultural experts, Dr. Oscar Thompson Filho and Dr. Cyro Albuquerque, negotiated an agricultural cooperation pact with the Taiwan Provincial Government.
These are only some of the examples of the growing technical cooperation between free China and Africa and Latin America.
Since the Bandung Afro-Asian Conference in 1955, Africa has become a principal target of Chinese Communist infiltration and subversion. As Elspeth Huxley wrote in Optima, a South African quarterly review, last September, "the dragon has set foot in Africa."
The Communist New China News Agency, which acts as a listening post, propaganda channel, and source of unofficial contacts, has opened offices in many African capitals. Radio Peiping broadcasts to Africa 35 hours a week in English, 13 hours in French, and seven hours in Portuguese, Cantonese, and Swahili.
To Know the Truth
However, Africans have judgment of their own. A student of the 1962 Taiwan seminar listened to the broadcasts of Radio Peiping for a couple of months. A few days before departing, he observed that the Reds were lying, that he had learned about Chinese democracy on Taiwan from experience.
The Republic of China's fondest hopes will be realized if, without prompting, all the African trainees come to feel the same way.