The seed industry is one of China's most strategic projects in its plans to achieve food security. The country leads the globe in rice breeding technology but remains dependent on vegetable seed imports. Over the years, Shouguang in eastern China's Shandong Province has developed a number of highly competitive companies that specialize in the field. Today, 70 percent of the seeds used in Shouguang are domestically developed. Zhou Yixin reports.
Yin Jinhua spends harvest season picking cherry tomatoes in his greenhouse. Farmers in nearby villages almost all plant the popular fruit, making the small town a well-known production base for the crop. Besides cherry tomatoes, almost every town in Shouguang has a vegetable industry of some kind.
Shouguang is a county-level city in Shandong's Weifang, and is home to the biggest vegetable production and wholesale market in China. Starting in 2010, it began to attract talented individuals, increase investment, and boost the research and development of vegetable seeds. Since then, it's made a number of significant achievements.
Zhou Yixin Shouguang, Shandong Province: "In the 1990s, the vegetable seed market in Shouguang had been monopolized by imported seeds. They were expensive and often pushed up the prices, leaving vegetable farmers quite unhappy. After years of efforts, the market at Shouguang is seeing the share of domestic vegetable seeds rise from 54% in 2010 to the current 70%."
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