WHDZ eyes seed industry, major project introduced

Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WHDZ) in Wuhan, capital city of Central China's Hubei province, is to promote its seed industry and strive to develop "China Seed Valley", according to local media reports.

In 2019, the development zone joined hands with Country Garden Agriculture and BGI Agriculture to build the "China Seed Valley". Its task is to determine the seed genes of high-quality agricultural products, preserve high-quality seeds, and allow ordinary people to eat safe and secure high-quality agricultural products.

The project plans to build a public R&D center for the seed industry. It will provide whole-process services such as resource material evaluation, breeding assembly design, field screening guidance, and breeding information management for seed companies, helping them quickly cultivate excellent varieties with independent intellectual property rights.

According to the plan, "China Seed Valley" will serve more than 100 seed projects every year following its completion.

Currently, WHDZ is preparing a plan for the construction of a modern seed industry industrial park. It is set to formulate a support policy system for agricultural seed industry projects, and to attract social capital, domestic and foreign high-quality seed industry enterprises, and professional scientific research institutions to participate in the construction of this "seed capital".

It will strive to attract more than 30 seed companies by 2023 to build a national modern seed industry industrial park featuring grain, oil and vegetable breeding, driving an output value of more than 3 billion yuan ($462 million).