Chinese Premier receives UN agriculture agency's award
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José Graziano da Silva presents Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao with Agricola Medal.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has been awarded the Agricola Medal by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The medal, the highest award given by FAO, was presented by the agency's Director-General, José Graziano da Silva in Beijing on Tuesday.
Gerry Adams reports.
Presenting the Agricola Medal, FAO Chief José Graziano da Silva said it is a tribute to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's life-long dedication to promoting food security and reducing poverty in China.
To illustrate the point, he said the number of poor in the world fell from 2.3 billion in 1990 to 1.5 billion in 2008, a reduction of 34.1 per cent.
Without China, he added, the reduction would have been only about 11 per cent over the same period.
Premier Wen Jiabao said that the main success of Chinese agricultural and rural development is the reform process that started in the late 1970s.
Gerry Adams, United Nations
Duration: 45″
