Hainan Island will boost the development of modern agriculture and actively attract highly qualified specialists and profile organizations to relevant projects. This is stated in the materials provided to TASS by the press office of the Publicity Department of CPC Hainan Provincial Committee.
According to the authorities, Hainan plans to create an artificial selection "Silicon Valley" in the city of Sanya. The program piqued the interest of many major international companies such as Switzerland's Syngenta Group, Germany's KWS SAAT SE, the Netherlands' KeyGene, and Chinese companies such as Longping High-Tech, Da Bei Nong Group, Join Hope Seed, and Dunhuang Seed.
Thanks to the government's incentives, 24 science, and technology groups have already set up branches and representative offices in the country, which employ more than 180 people in total. In addition, the government is planning to recruit another 60 research organizations and more than 1,600 specialists.
The China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Seed Research Center in Sanya will play an important role in developing Hainan's agriculture, and that it will contribute to China's food security. This new research and production organization, established in May, is actively studying problems related to the protection and efficient use of germplasm of cultivated plants, and is working on molecular design and development of new seed varieties.
"The goal of the research institute is to consolidate dispersed research and ensure cooperation between scientists who are currently working on solving problems on their own," says CAAS President Tan Huajun. As the head of the academy noted, the center for seed selection breeding should help transform the way research is conducted in the field, so lab technologies could allow for the research to be carried out all year round, rather than be dependent on seasons.
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