Nation moves on to tackle the ‘ chips’ for agriculture

An improving domestic seed industry will become a key to addressing many of the agricultural problems China has to face today, analysts said on Wednesday, as China vowed to tackle core bottlenecks in agricultural technologies in its new stage of rural development, vowing to “turn the table” in the seed industry to maintain grain security after a major policy meeting closed in Beijing on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that efforts must be made to promote the efficiency and quality of the agricultural sector and called to boost core technological breakthroughs in the agricultural sector in a bid to seek scientific and technological self- reliance. He made the remarks at the two- day annual central rural work conference which concluded in Beijing on Tuesday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

As China is set to roll out the 2021 “No. 1 Central Document” soon, which will focus, as usual, on agriculture, rural areas and farmers’ issues – always a top priority in China – the focus has shifted to a possible stranglehold in the agricultural sector.

In a rare move, the top Chinese authority for the first time elevated the need to strengthen the homegrown seed industry in the blueprint that guides the country’s agricultural sector. Such a development could cater for people’s need for highquality green food, the nation’s necessity to heal its soil and benefit downstream processing sector.

Seeds have been dubbed as the “semiconduc

tor microchips” of the agricultural sector, and Chinese analysts said the “turning- the- table campaign” in the $ 15 billion seed industry comes at the right time. The wording of the statement published after the meeting reflects some of the broader challenges faced by China’s agricultural sector – from a possible bottleneck like those faced by some of the country’s best technology companies to meet the improved demand of the Chinese people for quality agricultural produce.

A more developed seed industry will also directly contribute to the nation’s grain security, they noted.

“The trade frictions with the US, Australia and Canada have brought the lesson home to China’s policymakers that imports of agricultural products face restrictions or restraints,” said Jiao Shanwei, editor- in- chief of cngrain. com, a website specializing in grain news.

“Working to improve the seed industry will be a desirable field of attention as China has already done a good job in keeping and protecting its arable land, stimulating farmers’ enthusiasm to grow crops and ensure grain output,” Jiao told the Global Times on Wednesday, noting that the shift comes after China scored a victory in its poverty alleviation campaign, which come to an end at the end of 2020, with 100 million people lifted out of absolute poverty.

Although China does not face an immediate risk in grain seed supplies, the country still lags in bioengineering and biotechnology in a number of fields, from certain types of agricultural produce to animals that provide protein.

Zhao Xiangyu, chairman of Heilongjiang Province- based Liangtai Agriculture Co, told the Global Times that Western seed companies still have advantages over their Chinese counterparts.

“Improved seeds can wield some unique traits,” Zhao said. “For instance, soybeans from a variety developed by a Western company sheds moisture faster than domestic varieties – a desirable trait during the harvesting process.”

“For all the seed companies in Heilongjiang Province, I have not noticed even one that has the scientific strength to offer similar seeds,” Zhao said.

Policy dividend

Hou Yongjun, president of Erenhot Jinguyuan Grain and Oil Co, a rapeseed farmer from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said an improved seed industry will contribute to China’s grain security.

Hou said if the country’s farmers have access to better seeds, the country’s grain security can be put on a firmer footing.

“Without improved seeds, harvests are largely dependent on weather. Good weather means bumper harvests and catastrophic weather leads to no output,” Hou said, noting that this has caused grain output in many regions without access to stronger and improved seeds to fluctuate widely, undermining national food security.

Improved seed also needs less fertilizers, which helps the nation’s soil from degrading due to repeated use of fertilizers, Hou said.

Jiao said the political will attached to seed research will also likely lead to an increase in China’s discourse power in cutting- edge technologies in the field, and this is important given that China has to focus on its domestic market to ensure grain supply for economic and social development.