About 225 agricultural operators in Benin on Tuesday began a one-month training session conducted by Chinese specialists in farm machinery operation aimed at improving cotton productivity in the West African nation.

The training session is hosted by the China-Benin Agricultural Pilot Center at Seme-Kpodji, about 20 km southeast of Cotonou, the economic capital. At the opening ceremony, Benin's Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery Gaston Dossouhoui said the training session will provide stakeholders in the cotton sector with guidance from qualified specialists on properly carrying out agricultural operations.

He said Benin has targeted to achieve 0.91 million tonnes of seed cotton by 2023 with increased productivity.

Chinese Ambassador to Benin Peng Jingtao reiterated that agricultural cooperation is always a priority in China-Benin bilateral relations. Peng welcomed the contribution of the Chinese team supporting the cotton sector in Benin which became Africa's largest cotton producer with an output of 648,377 tonnes during the last crop year.