China-aided water supply project in Angola completed

A Chinese-built water supply project was officially handed over to the Angolan government in Cabinda Province on Monday and is predicted to benefit more than 600,000 people in the country.

Built by China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation Limited (CR20) since 2017, the Cabinda water supply project is the largest livelihood project invested by Angola in the province and represents the most advanced, intelligent, and modern water supply system in the country.

For many years, residents of Cabinda Province suffered from water shortage due to a lack of infrastructure, with most of them relying on water delivery trucks for daily usage.

Now, the project is expected to help solve the local water shortage problem and allowed many villagers to directly access tap water for the first time, said Yuan Xuefeng, the operation and maintenance manager of Cabinda water supply project.

"After being approved and delivered, the project can benefit 90 percent of the residential areas in Cabinda Province and meet the water needs of 600,000 people, greatly improving local residents' plight of water scarcity and poor water quality," explained Yuan.

The water supply project is comprised of 74 centralized points, with the capacity to supply 50,000 cubic meters of water per day. Throughout its construction period, over 1,000 employment opportunities were generated by the construction company for individuals in Cabinda Province.

China-aided water supply project in Angola completed

Grain enterprises across China have purchased 120 million tons of autumn grains recently, according to data from the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

Provinces like Henan, Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, and Anhui have set up the minimum purchase price of middle- and late-season rice. Over 200 purchasing spots have been set up in these four provinces to facilitate grain farmers in selling their crops.

Currently the purchase of middle- and late-season indica rice in the southern region stands at around 40 to 50 percent, while in the northeast region, the purchase of japonica rice is around 20 percent. In the north and northeast China, purchase of corn stands at 20 percent to 30 percent, while that of soybeans is around 15 percent in northeastern region.

The average price of middle- and late-season rice is about 2.6 yuan per kilogram. With demand rising for animal feed, prices of corn and soybean are gradually recovering and stabilizing, boosting acquisition interest.

"Currently, the cumulative procurement of middle- and late-season rice at the minimum purchase price has exceeded 1.8 million tons, effectively stabilizing market expectations and ensuring reasonable grain prices," said Luo Shouquan, director of the grain reserve department of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

Autumn grain purchases across China total 120 million tons