Rabobank China CEO: China’s Poverty Alleviation Success Should Be Shared Globally

Chongqing - Paul Schuilwerve, chief executive officer of Rabobank China, said during an exclusive interview with iChongqing that the lessons learned from China's poverty alleviation should be shared globally so that the success can be replicable elsewhere in the world.

Paul made the remark at the JW Marriott Hotel Chongqing last Thursday, hours before leaving for an agreement signing ceremony of the first-ever Agri3 Fund project in Asia with a local agricultural company.

The Agri3 Fund is an ambitious partnership jointly launched by Rabobank and UN Environment in 2017, which aims to unlock USD 1 billion in capital to speed up investment in farms that pursue more sustainable practices.

In collaboration with Chongqing Agricultural Chain Corporation Ltd., Rabobank will provide a three-year loan of RMB 70 million to enable local farmers to switch from poor yielding crops to more lucrative and sustainable pepper cultivation through the Agri3 Fund.

Over the past eight years, China's ambitious national poverty alleviation campaign has been met with fruitful achievements, nearly 100 million people living under the current poverty line have been lifted out of poverty. Earlier this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in Beijing that China has scored a "complete victory" in eradicating absolute poverty at a grand gathering held to honor the country's role models in fighting poverty.

In this exclusive interview, Paul talks about his first impressions of the city, China's poverty alleviation, UN sustainable development goals, the importance of financial support to farmers, and the first Agril3 Fund project in Asia.