China’s food-security push gets a boost with new list of 276 state-supported breeders, seed producers
- Move by China’s agricultural authorities is the latest to strengthen food supply for more than 1.4 billion people, amid rising risks from extreme weather and geopolitical disputes
- All of the listed companies are to be given more resources, technologies, talent and capital to boost their innovativeness and make them internationally competitive
China is ratcheting up its push toward agricultural self-sufficiency by publishing a list of 276 state-supported breeders, including dozens that will help the nation cultivate a stronger and more independent seed industry.
The move is in line with Beijing’s attempts to bolster the nation’s food supply for more than 1.4 billion people – an effort that was deemed of greater importance two years ago following the impacts of the pandemic and trade disputes with other countries.
The new “national seed industry formation” list consists of 69 breeding companies and institutions in the crop sector; 86 firms in the livestock and poultry sector; and 121 in aquaculture, according to the Ministry and Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
“To realise the transformation from a big country in the seed industry to a strong one, we must strive to create a group of leading companies with advantages,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday, following the list’s publication on Thursday.
The ministry also said that agricultural authorities across the country should consider all of the identified companies as “key subjects” to be supported. That means they should be allocated sufficient resources, technologies, talent and capital to boost their innovativeness and make them internationally competitive.