Chinese Government launches Phase 3 of Juncao Mushroom Technical Cooperation Project and new demonstration center in Fiji (Linked to records #49135 and #65032)

On January 1, 2023, Phase 3 of the China–Fiji Juncao Mushroom Technical Assistance Project officially commenced as a continuation of bilateral technical cooperation supported by the Chinese Government.

While specific funding amounts are unknown, the project builds on earlier grant-funded phases and may be supported through an ETCA signed in March 2023.

Phase 3 focuses on commercializing mushroom production, promoting Juncao grass as sustainable livestock feed, empowering rural women and youth, and addressing soil erosion and desertification.

The project is jointly implemented by the Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and the National Engineering Research Center of Juncao Technology at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU). By February 2024, the project had trained more than 2,400 technicians through 52 separate training sessions.

The project has also supplied two-meter-long Juncao grass cuttings to 1,200 livestock farmers across Fiji—34% of whom were women.

The project also supports three technical institutions (Votualevu College, Navuso Agricultural Technical Institute, and the Force Training Group in Nasinu) and five women’s groups across the Central and Western divisions. In 2023, 12 local participants were selected to study Juncao cultivation in China.

On March 22, 2023, the Chinese and Fijian Government jointly launched the China–Pacific Island Countries Juncao Technology Demonstration Center (CPICJTDC) in Nadi, at the Legalega Research Station, which has hosted the original Juncao Demonstration Center since Phase 1 began in 2014.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by senior officials from CIDCA, Fijian officials, Ambassador Zhou Jian, representatives of Pacific Island embassies, UN agencies, Chinese companies, and overseas Chinese communities.

During the ceremony, CIDCA signed two bilateral agreements with the Government of Fiji: a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Prime Minister’s Office to strengthen development cooperation under the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and an intergovernmental ETCA, which may serve as the financial foundation for Phase 3 of the Juncao project by formalizing ongoing assistance.

The CPICJTDC builds on Fiji’s successful application of Juncao technology since 2014 and will serve as a regional hub for training and technology transfer across the Pacific.

As of early 2023, more than 1,000 Fijian households had benefited from the project and over 7,000 mu (1,153 acres) of Juncao had been cultivated, involving 600+ local farming households.