China has sent many experts to Cote d'Ivoire over the years to assist the local agricultural development. Photo shows Chinese rice expert Liu Lanjin (R) introduces the rice varieties from China at the rice plots in Divo, Cote d'Ivoire, in 2011. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

ABIDJAN, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese experts are expected to arrive in Abidjan soon to reinforce agricultural cooperation between China and Cote d'Ivoire, and help modernize the latter's agricultural sector, official sources have said.

"China's agriculture ministry will send in September about 30 Chinese with different expertise to evaluate national needs in domains such as cocoa, cashew nuts, rice, pineapples and mangoes," Cote d'Ivoire's agriculture ministry said in a statement.

Cote d'Ivoire's Agriculture Minister Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly has just concluded his working visit to China between July 19 to 24, during which he signed a memorandum of understanding with his Chinese counterpart "for increased exchanges between the two countries."

The visit to China enabled Coulibaly and his delegation to meet with investors in the agriculture sector and to visit different factories that are involved in agricultural mechanization as well as transformation of cocoa and cashew nuts.

Coulibaly further appealed for five Cote d'Ivoire villages, instead of three, to benefit from the program dubbed "One village-one company" that was initiated by China to increase income for farmers. The project will be carried out in 100 African villages.

China currently provides support for Cote

d'Ivoire's agriculture sector through Guiguidou hydro-agricultural project, 180 km south of Abidjan. The project implemented on a 400 hectares piece of land is used for rice farming.