China sugarcane region increases efficient water use

NANNING -- A program to ensure water is used efficiently in planting was launched on Thursday in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, where more than 60 percent of China's cane sugar is grown.

The China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges, Coca Cola, the Ministry of Water Resources, Guangxi regional government, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have come together to promote efficient irrigation and mechanized planting in Chongzuo City, Guangxi.

A similar program was launched in Chongzuo in 2011 and proven successful, not only raising efficiency of water use, but retaining sugar output and quality, according to Huaying Zhang, vice president of stainability at Coca-Cola Greater China and Korea.

The 2011 program helped save 2.74 billion liters of water for local communities and benefited more than 6,000 growers annually, official data showed.

We hope to take the experience of Guangxi to Southeast Asia, and as far as Africa and Central and South America, said Niels Knudsen, assistant country director of UNDP China.