China eyes closer cooperation with IFAD over poverty reduction (3)

（Xinhua）  09:14, February 14, 2013  

"Our agricultural trade grew from 510 million U.S. dollars in 2000 to 2.75 billion U.S. dollars in 2012, an average annual increase of 15 percent. Your quality products such as olive oil, wine and cotton have entered numerous Chinese households," Hui said, referring to food sold to China from the six countries in Southern Europe.

"The export of olive oil to China has taken up 90 percent of our total annual import of olive oil. Thanks to our frequent information exchanges and mutual visits in the agricultural field, we have maintained good communication and coordination on major issues and further deepened the agricultural cooperation between the two sides," Hui told agriculture ministers from the six southern European nations, all the European Union member states.

Hui arrived in Rome on Tuesday and his three-country tour will also take him to Slovakia and Switzerland.