China’s ‘Industry 3.0 Era’ seed industry being left behind by Western giants
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China’s seed industry is at least a generation behind the Western giants in terms of technology, with a government-backed agency calling for enhanced financial, infrastructural and talent support for domestic suppliers. The China Seed Association, backed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, encourages firms to expand international collaboration efforts. Chinese seed companies are still in the transition stage to the ‘Industry 3.0 Era’ primarily focusing on molecular breeding, while overseas seed giants have entered the ‘Industry 4.0 Era’ utilizing big data, artificial intelligence, and gene editing. China's Seed Law came into effect in March 2022 to address the over-reliance on seed imports. China lags behind major seed giants such as the United States and Germany, which have formed complete industry chains spanning from seed cultivation to sales. China needs to expedite the resolution of issues in scientific innovation and overseas collaboration to achieve its goals of technological independence and control over seed sources within 10 years. China's seed companies are facing the dual dilemma of a lack of seeds and talent. The association suggests increasing support for seed enterprises in terms of financing, equipment, and talent, as well as enhancing foreign cooperation to introduce high-quality overseas germplasm resources and set up R&D bases overseas. China should also consider loosening restrictions on foreign investment in maize seed and adopting foreign patented technology and new varieties. The US holds 80% of the world's core breeding patents, while China holds just 3.5%. China's bio-seed companies achieved sales revenues of 77.7 billion yuan (US$11 billion) up to the end of 2022, roughly the same amount as Germany's Bayer alone during the same period. Chinese gene-editing products account for less than 16% of the products launched in the US.
#China #SeedIndustry #Technology #Collaboration #Self-reliance #SeedImports #IndustryChains #TalentShortage #GermplasmResources #Financing #ForeignInvestment #GeneEditing