Rural reform needs science input

A plant researcher, named Xu, who was unable to give his full name due to the media regulations of the institute he works for, said that the current policies indirectly discourage the commercialization of research findings.

Research institutes usually attach more importance to a research project's early work, such as publishing theses or seeking patents. Though researchers are later required to help businesses use the findings to produce seeds, the researchers were often unable to spend years working with the companies.

"There is no consensus on how to divide the earnings and responsibilities among researchers, their institutes and the companies," he said, which makes institutes reluctant to let their researchers help businesses, a process which may last several years.

Zhang, the vice-minister, said that a trusteeship system and a trading system will be established to accelerate the commercialization of research findings. But he did not elaborate on details.

The ministry will provide more favorable policies to support science and technology specialists to become agricultural entrepreneurs.

At a national level, the Ministry of Science and Technology has encouraged scientific researchers to become "professional farmers" since 2009. Between 2009 and September 2013, 720,000 such specialists moved to rural areas, he said.

These experts are expected to use their knowledge of breeding and the market, as well as government policies in land leasing and finance, to help farmers benefit from China's agricultural modernization.

China has carried out pilot programs on land banks, which allow the specialists to lease farmers' land for intensive farming, and to share the profits with the farmers, he said.