Greek Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, who is on an official visit to Beijing, China, until April 25, met on Tuesday with Wu Kongming, the president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. During the meeting, both sides agreed to further strengthen Greek-Sino collaboration at both the research and educational levels.
Specifically, Avgenakis proposed the establishment of post-graduate programs between Greece and China, the creation of a student and teacher exchange program, and their training in agricultural production and development issues.
It was also agreed, before the end of 2024 and following an invitation from the Greek minister, that a visit of officials from the Academy to Greece would take place with the aim of enhancing the existing cooperation with both supervised bodies of the Ministry (Benaki Phytopathological Institute and ELGO DEMETER), as well as with the country’s academic institutions. During the visit, meetings will be held to explore additional avenues of cooperation.
Furthermore, the Greek side proposed that a conference take place in Greece in 2025, with the participation of academic institutions and agricultural bodies from both countries, aimed at expanding collaborations in education and research, with the Chinese side accepting the proposal.
Following the meeting, Avgenakis was given a tour by Jin Ke, Director General of International Relations, of the cutting-edge hydroponics and robotics facilities at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
