西非国家水稻产量创新高，背后有这家湘企助力

Local farmers work for the China-Gambia agricultural technology cooperation project in Central River Division, Gambia, on March 13, 2025. (Xinhua/Si Yuan)

In The Gambia, where rice is a staple of daily life, a quiet agricultural transformation is taking root, driven by technological innovations and international cooperation, helping farmers achieve record-breaking yields and reduce reliance on imports.

在以大米为主食的冈比亚，一场借助技术创新和国际合作的农业变革正悄然展开，助力当地农民实现产量创纪录增长，减少对进口水稻的依赖。

The West African country's agricultural productivity has been steadily increasing, with rice production surpassing 48,000 tonnes in 2024, marking a historic high.

作为西非国家的冈比亚，其农业生产力一直在稳步提升，2024年当地水稻产量已突破4.8万吨，创下历史新高。

Gambian Minister of Agriculture Demba Sabally speaks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Banjul, Gambia, on March 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Si Yuan)

"We have never achieved such a yield before, which shows that Gambian agriculture is improving. Development partners like China have played a crucial role," Minister of Agriculture Demba Sabally said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

“过去我们从未达到这样的产量，这表明冈比亚农业越来越好，像中国这样的发展伙伴功不可没。”冈比亚农业部长登巴·萨巴利日前接受新华社记者专访时表示。

Innovations in infrastructure and the introduction of high-yield agricultural technologies by Chinese teams have been instrumental in reaching this milestone, he said.

他强调，中国技术团队提供的高产技术以及在基础设施方面的创新是取得这一成就的关键因素。

For a long time, The Gambia has relied heavily on rice imports due to traditional farming methods, limited mechanization and small-scale rice cultivation.

长期以来，由于农业技术传统落后、机械化水平低以及水稻种植规模小，冈比亚的大米主要依赖进口。

"In The Gambia, you cannot live without rice," said Gambian farmer Musa Darboe. Originally a telecommunications engineer in the United States, Darboe returned to The Gambia in 2018 to manage the farm left by his father. However, harsh realities quickly hit him.

“在冈比亚，没有大米就无法生活。”冈比亚农场主穆萨·达博说。达博原本在美国当通信工程师，2018年返回冈比亚，打理父亲留下的农场，残酷的现实很快给他“迎头痛击”。

"I had no knowledge of rice planting techniques at the time, and agricultural mechanization in The Gambia was low. No one taught me what to do, and at one point, I even considered giving it all up," Darboe recalled.

“我当时对水稻种植技术并不了解，而且冈比亚的农业机械化水平非常低。没有人教我怎么做，我甚至一度想放弃这一切。”达博说。

Soon, things took a turn for the better. In July 2019, he met Huang Zhi, country manager of Longping High-Tech, a Chinese agricultural company named after Yuan Longping who was known as the "father of hybrid rice," and his team, who were in The Gambia for agricultural cooperation. From seed selection to planting, Chinese experts provided hands-on assistance and introduced professional equipment such as rice transplanters and harvesters, machines that Darboe's father's generation had never even dreamed of.

不久，事情出现了转机。2019年7月，他认识了以 “杂交水稻之父” 袁隆平命名的中国农业企业隆平高科国别经理黄智及其团队，当时他们正在冈比亚开展农业技术合作。从选种到种植，中国专家们手把手提供帮助，还引进了达博的父辈们“想都不敢想”的水稻插秧机、收割机等专业设备。

Local farmers work for the China-Gambia agricultural technology cooperation project in Central River Division, Gambia, on March 13, 2025. (Xinhua/Si Yuan)

"After more than five years of development, Darboe's farm has now achieved near-complete mechanization in four key stages: plowing, transplanting, harvesting and processing," Huang said. According to him, the team has achieved a yield of 10.8 tonnes per hectare, two to three times higher than that of local rice varieties.

“经过5年多发展，达博的农场从耕地、插秧到收割和加工四个关键步骤都已基本实现机械化。”据黄智介绍，团队在当地实现了每公顷10.8吨的水稻产量，比当地水稻品种产量高2至3倍。

"I am deeply grateful for China's support in The Gambia's agricultural development. Without the guidance and assistance of Chinese agricultural experts, we would not have been able to produce high-quality rice," Darboe said.

“非常感谢中国对冈比亚农业发展的帮助，如果没有中国农业专家的指导和帮助，我们不可能种出优质大米。”达博说。

Rice yields and field management standards at Darboe's farm continue to improve. Through a cooperative model, he now provides seeds, fertilizers, mechanization services and agricultural processing support to more than 2,000 nearby farmers. Other farm owners are also gradually adopting Chinese agricultural machinery and rice planting techniques.

达博农场的水稻产量和田间管理水平仍在持续提升。他还通过合作社模式，为周边2000多户农民提供种子、化肥，并提供机械化服务和农产品加工支持。其他农场主也逐渐开始引入中国的农业机械和水稻种植技术。

"The Chinese technical team has introduced various high-quality rice varieties, including high-yield and hybrid seeds, which are essential for the development of Gambian agriculture," Sabally said.

“中国技术团队引进多种优质水稻品种，包括高产种子和杂交种子，这对冈比亚农业发展至关重要。”冈比亚农业部长萨巴利说。