A delegation from Myanmar visited southwest China's Yunnan Province from September 6 to 8 to explore opportunities for further cooperation in the agricultural sector, as the southeast Asian country endeavors to combat poverty.

During a three-day trip in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, which shares a long border with Myanmar, government, academic and business representatives visited agricultural companies specializing in rice, coffee and other farm produces to learn about new farming technologies and industrial development trends.

"I haven't tasted rice like this in my whole life. It's really soft and its fragrance is really good," Aung Chan Myae, a member of the delegation, told CGTN after tasting a local rice variety.

"We can collaborate by getting supply of seeds from your country. We can grow them in our country and then supply high-quality rice for your demand," said Myae, who serves as the joint secretary of the Young Entrepreneurs Society of Myanmar Rice Federation.

At a special forum, scholars from both countries shared the latest research on increasing both the yield and quality of food crops.

Agriculture has been an important aspect of cooperation between China and Myanmar. Over the years, technology transfer from China has helped the neighbor develop modern agriculture, involving efforts by government, enterprises and academic institutions.

Earlier this year, the Yunnan-based Yuntianhua Group launched a new program in Myanmar to grow some new varieties of paddy rice.

"We would like to have more cooperation with China on other agricultural products, such as tea, coffee and watermelon, and we need related technical assistance," said Kyaw Soe Lwin, an official with Myanmar's Ministry of Science and Technology.

Win Oo, director of the Land Use Division at Myanmar's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, said he expects more of such exchanges between the two sides, noting that he's been inspired by agricultural cooperatives widely practiced in China's rural areas, which he believes can be promoted in his country to increase farmers' income.

Meanwhile, China has also attached importance to cultivating young agricultural talents in Myanmar. For example, the Yuntianhua Group has provided scholarships to students of the Yezin Agricultural University since 2017 and has granted a total of $87,000 so far.

Kyaw Kyaw Win, vice president of the university, told CGTN that the scholarships have played an important role in assisting the graduate students to carry out related academic research.

He added that Myanmar faces challenges in driving agricultural modernization, especially in manufacturing and application of advanced machineries, and that this is where the two countries can deepen collaboration.

This year marks the ASEAN-China Year of Agricultural Development and Food Security Cooperation, an initiative aiming to set an example for global food security governance. According to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday, China will continue to expand mutually beneficial collaboration towards more sustainable agriculture and food security in the region through a series of activities and projects.

"Most of the Southeast Asian countries still rely on traditional agriculture. While seeking industrial transformation, they need innovative technologies and production modes, so China and these countries can form a kind of union, say, unions of technology and university. In this way, our technologies can better serve local farming, and their young teachers can come over to Chinese universities for training," said Hu Fengyi, dean of the School of Agriculture at Yunnan University.

During the event, officials from Myanmar said that they hope such exchange can improve the country's agricultural technology capability and help address unemployment issues and fight poverty.