An expert from Syngenta Group China talks with a local cotton grower in a field in Gansu province in October 2021. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Syngenta Group China, one of the four major business units of Syngenta Group - the global seeds, crop protection and nutrition product manufacturer, pledged to work with more global and domestic partners to facilitate the sustainable growth of China's cotton and textile industries in the coming years, said its executives.

The company and its partners such as Solidaridad, a Netherlands-based international NGO, have joined forces to launch a new project to solve the practical issues faced in industrial development, improve the production efficiency of cotton and other crops, improve the income of farmers, protect the ecological environment, and promote rural revitalization.

Jiang Yekui, chief sustainable officer of Syngenta Group China, said the project will take the Hexi Corridor area of Gansu province as the core demonstration area, relying on Syngenta Group China's advanced water and fertilizer integration technology, comprehensive crop protection and crop nutrition solutions in China, effectively explore and summarize the implementation technology and experience model of cotton and rotation crops, and actively promote the concept of sustainable agricultural development and advanced production technology and business model.

Sustainability has long been an important part of Syngenta Group China's core values. The company is eager to protect the natural environment and ensure ecological safety and provide scientific sustainable development solutions, he said during the 2022 Sustainable Cotton Development Forum held in Beijing early this week.

Hosted by the embassy of the Netherlands in China, Syngenta Group China and its partners discussed how to conduct sustained growth of China's cotton and textile value chains in a broader platform during the event.

Roderick Wols, deputy head of mission of the embassy of the Netherlands, said that as a bridge between the Netherlands and China, the embassy hopes to support institutions such as the Solidaridad and Syngenta Group China to give full play to their strengths and produce cotton and other agricultural products more sustainably through the joint efforts of many parties.

This project will benefit the people in China and the world by adopting dryland water-saving technology, innovating business models, developing agricultural service industries, said Jin Wencheng, director-general of the Research Center for Rural Economy under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.