Beijing to seek land for agro project.

When a trade delegation from Chinese province of Shandong visits Kolkata next week, it will explore possibilities to acquire land, a contentious issue in Bengal, to set up “an agricultural demonstration centre” in the State, the Chinese envoy said here.

While the size of the land has not been specified, the centre will house a model farm to showcase best agricultural practices with modern machinery, Consul General of China Ma Zhanwu said. The idea came from Mr. Ma’s colleagues in the Chinese Embassy in Delhi.

“India and Israel have one such demonstration project, set up a few years ago in Noida, and it has helped farmers in the area greatly. It is a profit-making centre now. Some of my colleagues visited the place and suggested that we may try it here,” Mr. Ma said. Chinese firms would expect Bengal to provide “land and manpower,” he said.

THE HINDU