Chinese scientists have taught local farmers in South Asian countries, including Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, to grow suitable mushrooms in forest land and shaded spaces.

The program, carried out by a team led by Xu Jianchu, a researcher at the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the support of the China-South Asia Technology Transfer Center since 2018, has helped increase incomes and restore biodiversity.

Xu shared the story at the fourth Forum on China-South Asia Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation held in Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The program is the epitome of strengthened technology transfer and collaborative innovation between China and South Asian countries in recent years.

Dhanushka Wanasinghe from Sri Lanka participated in the project's training sessions. He is studying at the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During his five years in Yunnan, he has traveled to more than 260 mountains to research micro-fungi.

"I will bring technologies I learn here back to Sri Lanka and share them with more farmers," he said.

Zhang Guangjun, vice minister of science and technology, said China has sponsored nearly 200 young scientists from South Asian countries to conduct short-term scientific research in China since 2014 through an innovative young scientist program.

In addition, nearly 2,000 scientific researchers and management staff from South Asian countries have participated in China-hosted training courses on advanced applicable technologies and scientific management, Zhang said.

As friendly neighbors and development partners, China and South Asian countries are seeing closer cooperation and more fruitful results in terms of technological innovation.

Ashok Kumar Rai, Nepal's minister of education, science and technology, hailed China's efforts to deepen scientific and technological cooperation with South Asian countries.

He said that these countries will learn and benefit from China's achievements and experience in scientific and technology development.

Many Nepalese students are studying in majors like medicine, engineering and information technology in China, Rai said, adding that he expected the two sides to strengthen academic research cooperation in railroads, agriculture and communications.

The China-South Asia Technology Transfer Center, established in Yunnan in June 2014, has built branches or cooperation centers in six countries in South Asia. 

The forum is part of the seventh China-South Asia Expo and the 27th China Kunming Import and Export Fair.

(With input from Xinhua)