As part of the agricultural cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, the China Agriculture Studies Village program was launched on Sunday in east China's Shandong Province.

The village, aiming to strengthen technological exchanges and training, is planned to occupy about 53.3 hectares in the city of Xixia, said the local government source.

The program will provide both higher education on agriculture and vocational training.

The institute, supported by some major agricultural colleges in the mainland, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Taiwan PingTung University of Science and Technology, will admit its first batch of college students in September, 2009.

The majority of the students to enroll in the institute will be from Taiwan.

The village will also provide training services to local farmers and those from Taiwan, said the source.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2006)