As the agricultural sector in China undergoes major modernization, it is necessary not only to produce enough food for future populations, but also to increase the quality of the produce, said executives of Dutch vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan.
The company is willing to play a role in both aspects, they said. The Chinese government is guiding the massive process of upgrading China's traditional agriculture into a modern and efficient cultivation industry. This process involves hundreds of millions of farmers and millions of hectares of land.
Seeds play an important part in this transition, as breeding companies are able to continuously introduce plant varieties with ever-better combinations of desired characteristics, whether improved flavor, shelf life or appearance, or better traits from a grower's perspective, according to the company.