By Hichem Boumedjout
China has donated US$3 million to Algeria as part of a scientific and
technical cooperation agreement between the two countries. The agreement was
signed last week in Algiers by the secretary-general of the Algerian Foreign
Affairs Ministry, Madjid Bouguerra, and the deputy Chinese foreign Minister,
Quiao Zonghuai.
The Algerian agriculture minister, Said Barkat, told the Algerian
Press Agency at the ceremony that the agreement is intended to help in
developing several areas, including agriculture.

Barkat said that the two countries will establish bilateral projects
in crop irrigation, genetic improvement of plants and animals, and
reclamation of degraded farm land - areas in which China has considerable
experience.

He added that the two parties are establishing special projects to
transfer salt water and wastewater for irrigation purposes.

In return, Algeria will help China with the cultivation of fruit trees
and to fight desertification, in which Algeria has extensive experience.

The Chinese delegation spokesman said: "China is currently threatened
by the phenomenon of sand encroachment on fertile lands and we look forward
to cooperation with Algeria and to benefit from its experience in this
area."

Houda Boureghda, a botanical expert at the Algerian Agricultural
Institute, told SciDev.Net, "I think the agreement will be very useful for
us to develop our research on genetic improvement of plants, as China has
made huge developments in that area and I think we should have much to do
together."

The two parties have also signed another agreement, whereby China will
construct digital seismology network stations to detect earthquakes for the
Algerian Astronomy, Astrophysics and Geophysics Research Centre.
These agreements have been reached as a result of a state visit to
China by the Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in November 2006.
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