China aims to boost seed industry for self-reliance and food security, says minister

China plans to further revitalize its seed industry by promoting groundbreaking new varieties to achieve self-reliance and control in seed technology, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun said on Monday.

"Only by accelerating the renewal of crop varieties can we ensure national food security from the source," Han said during the ministers' passage interviews at the ongoing two sessions.

This year's Government Work Report emphasizes maintaining a strong focus on grain production, setting a target of 700 million metric tons as a key expectation for economic and social development.

After years of dedicated effort, particularly since the launch of the seed industry revitalization initiative in 2021, China has made remarkable progress. "The country now mainly uses domestically developed seeds for its grains, vegetables, livestock, and aquatic products, ensuring a stable supply of key varieties," Han said.

China has established a national crop and livestock germplasm resource bank. "We developed a large language model for intelligent breeding, SeedLLM, and the world's first intelligent breeding robot, GEAIR," Han said. The country has also cultivated a batch of high-yield, high-quality, and disease-resistant varieties, he added.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China has reached new heights in agricultural development, with technological advancements playing a major role in agricultural modernization. The contribution rate of the country's agricultural scientific and technological progress has surpassed 64 percent, and improved seed coverage has exceeded 96 percent.

The comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting has reached 76.7 percent, achieving full mechanization for major staple crops. China's agriculture is rapidly transforming towards smart and digital technologies, evident in the widespread use of advanced equipment both in the sky and on the ground. Last year, China deployed over 300,000 drones in agriculture, the highest number globally, servicing around 30.67 million hectares of farmland, Han said.

"Innovations such as smart harvesting robots, intelligent irrigation systems, and AI-powered laser weeding robots are being utilized in agricultural production," he said.

So far, China has constructed and enhanced 66.67 million hectares of high-standard farmland. "The country's capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation in agriculture continues to improve," Han said.