The Chinese Embassy in Burkina Faso organized a visit to the Boulbi rice-growing site on Thursday, November 6, 2025. This event marked the celebration of the 2025 edition of the Sino-Burkinabe Friendship Harvest Festival.
During the day, the Chinese ambassador and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture visited the demonstration site for the new hybrid rice varieties. There, they observed the production of sixteen new varieties introduced from China and officially launched the harvest.
Prior to this harvest, a team of Chinese experts and the agricultural technical assistance team had carried out several field missions. Their interventions focused on demonstrating rice and millet varieties, providing training in agricultural techniques, supplying equipment, and sharing expertise in agronomy and poverty reduction.
The visit concluded with the official celebration of the Sino-Burkinabe Friendship Harvest Festival, crowning a day of fruitful cooperation between the two countries.
Zhao Deyong, China’s ambassador to Burkina Faso, stated that his country is ready to actively support the presidential initiative for agricultural production and food self-sufficiency. He explained that this cooperation aims to deepen technological exchanges and strengthen the skills of personnel between the two countries. The ambassador added that China will support Burkina Faso in modernizing its agriculture, making the joy of the harvest a lasting testament to the friendship between China and Burkina Faso.
“ We came here to share in the joy of the producers for these harvests. In celebrating this festival, we must pay tribute to our producers and our Sino-Burkinabe experts for the enormous work they have done for the farmers ,” he said.
Issaka Ouédraogo, president of the Boulbi cooperative, said that the Chinese varieties produced in the Boulbi lowlands have a good yield.
" God willing, this year’s production will exceed last year’s. We hope that China will continue to support us with agricultural equipment and seeds ," he said.
Gaoussou Sanou, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, reiterated that one of the objectives of the Agro-Pastoral and Fisheries Offensive is to achieve a production of one million tons of rice. He emphasized that achieving this goal depends on using adapted seeds and varieties to increase productivity. Cooperation has been established with the Chinese Embassy for the acquisition of these seeds. The new Chinese hybrid varieties, tested and approved by INERA (National Institute for Agricultural Research), offer a significantly higher yield, from 7 to 9 tons per hectare, compared to only 3 to 5 tons per hectare for older varieties.
" The new varieties that we are trying to introduce and have supported by the Chinese side are varieties that come from Chinese research institutes and have been approved and tested, following the different procedures for the approval and introduction of new varieties in Burkina Faso. These new Chinese varieties will not systematically replace our local varieties ," he indicated.
As a reminder, a Chinese team of millet experts and agricultural technical assistance advisors have established demonstration plots on 175 hectares since 2024 and encouraged the expansion of cultivation to 12,000 hectares. Their efforts have trained over 10,000 farmers and technical agents and distributed more than 70,000 technical resources. Thanks to these efforts, the average yield per hectare has increased 4.5 times in Burkina Faso, thus contributing significantly to the country’s food security and integrating Chinese agricultural expertise into the modernization process of Burkinabe agriculture.
In parallel, China has undertaken several infrastructure, health, and energy projects, which are progressing steadily and aim to improve the well-being of the population. The Bobo-Dioulasso University Hospital Center, built by China, will soon be operational. The “Smart Burkina Faso” project has contributed to strengthening national security.
Chinese medical missions have provided high-quality services to the people of Burkina Faso, and the 25 MW solar power plant project has been successfully launched. Food and financial aid have directly benefited the population, while bilateral trade continues to strengthen. These initiatives bring tangible benefits to both peoples and contribute sustainably to the development and stability of both countries.