BEIJING: President Xi Jinping wants China to accelerate efforts to achieve self-reliance in agricultural technology, identifying key areas such as seed development and core equipment, according to state media reports.
Central leaders stated in 2020 that the national seed industry is a weak link in the food chain and needs to make better use of technology to turn losses into profits.
“It is necessary to pay attention to the frontiers of world agricultural technology,” the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi as saying at the Central Rural Work Conference in Beijing on Friday (Dec. 23) and Saturday.
The president urged China’s agricultural sector to “vigorously step up” technology and improve innovation efficiency.
Xi urged the department to address innovation issues, such as the speed of translation into commercial applications and lack of cooperation among research teams.
China invests heavily in basic agricultural research, but few large commercial companies invest in long-term R&D to bring innovative solutions to market.