On October 13. 2016, the opening ceremony of Overseas Training Course on Biogas Utilization Technology for Mauritania in 2016, was held in the Demonstration Center of Livestock and Pasturing in Mauritania in Wade of Naga County, Traza. The course was sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) and organized by the Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture (BIOMA). Mr. Hu Guoquan, Deputy Director General of BIOMA, Mr. Ren Xiaobin, Director of Training and Information Research Center of BIOMA, Mr. Yang Xiu, Division Chief of the department of International Cooperation, and Mr. Zhang Hong’en, General Manager of the Demonstration Center of Livestock and Pasturing in Mauritania attended the opening ceremony.

Dr. Hu Guoquan gave a warm welcome to all participants and extended gratitude to MOFCOM, Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Mauritania, and the Demonstration Center of Livestock and Pasturing in Mauritania for their support to this training program. Dr. Hu also hoped all participants can study diligently and have fruitful achievements.

Dr. Yang Xiu expressed his congratulations to this training course and underlined that CAAS will strengthen the cooperation with Mauritania in agriculture. Mr. Zhang Hong’en recollected the history of the Demonstration Center of Livestock and Pasturing and mentioned that more technical support will be provided for Mauritania in livestock and pasturing. This training course marks the first training course ever held in this center, which will establish a solid foundation for future cooperation and training program.

This training course, from Oct.10 to Dec. 4, was the 70th international training course organized by BIOMA since its establishment. The 56 day long training had 30 participants from the Ministry of Livestock and Pasturing, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment and Representative Offices in Mauritania. This training course had various courses including development of biogas technology in China, introduction of agriculture in China, and design and construction of household digester. Participants also took part in the whole construction process of a digester with a size of 10 m3 in the demonstration center.

On Oct.9 2016, Doctor FALL Mokhtar, Secretary of the Ministry of Livestock and Pasturing, visited this demonstration center, and had fruitful discussions with the staffs in BIOMA and Demonstration Center for the detailed arrangements of the training course.