Thursday, October 16

SU Ag Center Staff Travels To China To Promote Ag Development


Baton Rouge, LA – Five members of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center faculty and staff will travel to China to exchange knowledge and technology in the area of World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate with Chinese scientists and officials.

The visit, which will be from October 17-30, is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Foreign Agricultural Service’s Scientific Exchange Program (SCEP) with the People’s Republic of China.

The objective of SCEP is to promote bilateral scientific exchange to promote agricultural cooperation, development, and trade between the United States and China. The Southern University Ag Center hosted six scientists from China in June of 2012. This travel will allow China to host a delegation from the SU Ag Center.

This isn’t the SU Ag Center’s first experience with international exchange. The SU Ag Center was accepted into the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program in 2011. The program provided U.S.-based agribusiness and collaborative research training to African women from Kenya and Malawi.

“Because of the great reputation of the Southern University Ag Center with international exchange, the USDA approached us about applying for the SCEP,” said Fatemeh Malekian, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the SU Ag Center and Project Director of the program.

“We are going to get to see a very diverse view of China’s agriculture,” said Malekian. The group will travel to Beijing; Harbin, Heilongjiang Province and Nanning, Guangxi Province during their two-week visit. “Our goal is to learn from the way they are looking at agriculture and apply it here at SU,” she added.

The delegates going to China are: Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Fatemeh Malekian; Coordinator for Planning and Evaluation, Oscar Udoh, Ph.D.; Professor of Animal Science, Sebhatu Gebrelul, Ph.D.; Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Professor of Design and Merchandising, Doze Butler, Ph.D. and Communications Specialist, Bridget Udoh, Ph.D.

The group will meet with the Chinese scientists who visited Southern, the staff of the National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center, the College of Economics and Management at the China Agricultural University, the Division of Market Information at the Agricultural Committee of Heilongjiang and Guangxi Provincial Department of Agriculture; visit extension agencies; manufacturers of ag-products, grains and poultry farms.

For additional information, contact Fatemeh Malekian at 225.771.2242.

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Contact:
Bridget Udoh
(225) 771-5714
bridget_udoh@suagcenter.com

LaKeeshia D. Giddens – writer
(225) 771-2160 
lakeeshia_giddens@suagcenter.com

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