April 2, 2025 | 23:41 GMT +7

  • Click to copy
Thursday- 08:47, 30/03/2023

China food security: domestic seed industry plagued by lack of innovation, officials warn

(VAN) Chinese officials have once again sounded the alarm about “over-reliance” on seed imports, as food security continues to grow as a national priority.
China faces increasing pressure to feed its 1.4 billion people and mounting external uncertainty, says Xi Jinping. Photo: Xinhua

China faces increasing pressure to feed its 1.4 billion people and mounting external uncertainty, says Xi Jinping. Photo: Xinhua

China’s seed industry lacks competitiveness in major vegetables such as corn and “seriously relies on imports” for most non-staple food, a group of officials from central China said in a recently published article.

“High-end vegetable seeds from overseas are sold by number, but home-grown vegetable seeds are sold by weight. The gap in their market value is huge,” officials from Hubei province’s seed administration wrote.

Dubbed the “chips of agriculture”, seeds bred in China are generally deemed of low quality and low efficiency, while the industry suffers from a lack of innovation and is losing its edge in the global market, said the article published last week in the country’s top agricultural journal, China Seed Industry.

China has vowed to boost support for seed breeding technologies to ensure food security amid worsening ties with the US – where most of its food and seed imports come from – and prepare for the increasing impact of climate change, urbanisation and shifting diets.

“The 1.4 billion people in our country were well fed in the past couple of years and we’ve held our bowls steadily in our own hands. Now, the demand for food is increasing, so is the pressure of holding the bowl,” President Xi Jinping said in the annual national rural work conference in December.

The country saw a deficit of 350 million yuan (US$50.9 million) in crop seed trade in 2021, mainly driven by the demand for vegetables, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Considering seed technology and preserving farmland are the two top priorities for China’s food production, the central government issued a seed industry revitalisation plan in 2021 in the aim of having control of seed sources.

Despite the fact foreign breeders occupy just 3 per cent of China’s seed market, domestically produced seeds of corn and soybean are “more than 20 years behind” the United States in terms of yields, the Hubei officials said.

Yields of both crops are only about 60 per cent of those growing in the US, they said.

While a strong industry requires long-term commitment, many domestic seed companies are short-sighted and share a mentality of “being satisfied with small wealth”, they said.

In a move to consolidate the sector, the agriculture ministry last year picked 276 domestic breeders that would receive special government support in capital and talent.

At a meeting with representatives from these state-supported companies over the weekend, it said their innovation and competitiveness have been strengthened through increased investment and enhanced cooperation with research institutes and financial companies.

But Huo Xuexi, a professor of agricultural economics from Northwest A&F University, said China would need decades of time to get where the West is now in seed breeding.

“Revitalising the seed industry is a tall order,” he said, referring to China’s ambition to achieve self-reliance.

“First of all, we need at least 10 years to figure out basic scientific questions in agriculture, and then it will take another long period to bring basic research results to the market.”

HD

(SCMP)

Banks see a dire climate future - and ways to profit

Banks see a dire climate future - and ways to profit

(VAN) The nation’s top banks are quietly advising their clients on how to build a financial life raft - or perhaps life yacht - from the wreckage of runaway climate change.

Conflict and rising food prices drive Congolese into one of the world's worst food crises

Conflict and rising food prices drive Congolese into one of the world's worst food crises

(VAN) From FAO Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Brazil faces inflation risks as surging corn prices eclipse rice plunge

Brazil faces inflation risks as surging corn prices eclipse rice plunge

(VAN) Corn prices in the Campinas region have surged past 90 reais ($15.80) per 60-kg bag, the highest nominal level in nearly three years, marking a more than 23% jump year-to-date, according to the widely followed Cepea index from the University of Sao Paulo.

Breaking cycle of forest land grabs

Breaking cycle of forest land grabs

(VAN) Thailand’s efforts to address landlessness among its population has been a priority for multiple administrations.

Engaging the next generation in the connection between forests and foods

Engaging the next generation in the connection between forests and foods

(VAN) FAO, together with the Government of Italy, and a forest expert and a master ice cream maker from Italy, educate young students on the significance of forest foods at FAO Park.

The glyphosate debate

The glyphosate debate

(VAN) The EU has recently approved the use of glyphosate for another decade. Bárbara Pinho examines the controversial pesticide’s presence in British farming and considers the possibility of a ban in the UK.

The spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza calls for stepped up action, FAO says

The spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza calls for stepped up action, FAO says

(VAN) Averting losses of hundreds of millions of poultry crucial to mitigate impacts on food security, nutrition and affordability of poultry products.

Read more