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China is expanding its list of state-authorized seeds. The announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture aims to reduce dependence on imports, in an uncertain food context with the resurgence of Covid and the war in Ukraine.
It is the weakest link in the food chain in China. For both experts and Chinese decision-makers, the development of national seed companies is an essential element in increasing cereal production and a necessary step towards self-sufficiency. The war in Ukraine and the Covid resurgence have raised alarm bells among Chinese leaders, starting with the head of state.
« Only by holding the Chinese seeds in our own hands can we stabilize the Chinese bowl and achieve food security. said Xi Jinping earlier this month. The Covid pandemic has upended global supply chains, so has the war in Ukraine. However, China still depends largely on foreign seeds for many vegetables, spinach, cauliflower and carrots in particular, and the same for corn. Hence the decision to expand the base list of state-sponsored seed breeders and producers.
Race against time
The announcement by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is the first in nine years the central government hopes this expanded national base will supply more than 80% of the seeds needed for agricultural production by 2025, up from 70 % before the pandemic. ” This is a concrete measure to revitalize the sector “said Li Guoxiang in remarks reported by the South China Morning Post. « Chinese agricultural resources are limited, adds this expert within the rural development institute within the Academy of Social Sciences, the only field which can develop is that of seeds. »
To say it is to do it in China, except that it may take time. ” It takes ten years to raise a new species of clover, 7 or 8 years for oats (two essential components of livestock feed, editor’s note) “says Yang Hongshan, expert at the Lanzhou Livestock Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences quoted by the Global Times and China imports more than 1.3 million tons of clover every year.
Selecting better seeds goes through research and development; it also passes through space. The crew of the Shenzhou 13 space mission returned to earth on April 16, with clover seeds, oats, rice, mushrooms and cabbage in their luggage. ” Seeds being as important as chips in the semiconductor industry “, recalled in recent days a professor of the agricultural university of China.