VP woos Chinese investors

Written By:VPPS , Posted: Wed, Aug 11, 2010

Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday urged China to invest in the modernization of the agricultural sector in Kenya.

Mr. Musyoka who paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Vice President Mr. Xin Ping at the Great hall of the people Beijing said there was need for Chinese firms to invest in setting up of farm machinery manufacturing plants in Kenya that would serve both Kenya and the 120 million population of the East African Common Market.

Musyoka who also attended the opening ceremony of the China Africa Agricultural Forum called for technological transfer in irrigated farming, seed technology, and mechanization of agricultural production as well as agro-processing for value addition.

"Kenya wants to draw lessons from China which has limited arable land yet is able to feed her 1.3 billion inhabitants," Musyoka said.

This according to Musyoka was the reason Kenya has shifted focus from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation as part of its economic blueprint, Vision 2030

"There is absolutely a strong case for constructing dams and investing in water harvesting techniques to be able to have sufficient water resources to produce enough food for Kenyans and attain surplus for export," he said.

The Vice President called on Chinese companies to import cut flowers other horticultural products for which Kenya is famous in order to correct the trade imbalance that is currently hugely in favour of China.

He further encouraged more Chinese people to visit Kenya as tourists saying the current figure of 20,000 visitors a year was too small considering the large population of China.

"The economic prosperity of China in the last 20 years means far more Chinese can today afford to travel anywhere in the world as tourists. We urge you to make magical Kenya your preferred destination," he said.

Musyoka said following the passing of the new constitution, Kenya now requires the goodwill of its development partners including China to roll out the reforms that go hand in hand with the implementation of the new constitution

Mr. Ping said China places a high priority in its economic cooperation with Africa and Kenya was a critical partner in the East African region.

The China Africa Agricultural Forum brought together leaders from Zimbabwe, Sudan, Angola, Ethiopia, Senegal, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo among others

Mr. Wang Jiarui the minister for international department, central committee of the Communist Party of China said the country was following up on the implementation of the resolutions arising out of the fourth ministerial conference on forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt last year where China committed 10 billion dollars to help in the development of agriculture, infrastructure, energy and human resource capacity in Africa.

The Vice President's visit to China is a follow up of the one by President Mwai Kibaki in May this year where he sought Chinese help in the construction of a second port in Lamu, a standard gauge railway line connecting Lamu, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia as well as mass transport, light rail system for Nairobi city.