A single soybean seed variety has been sold for 31.55 million yuan, setting a new historical record for the one-time transfer of a single soybean variety in China. During an open group meeting of the Heilongjiang delegation at the ongoing National People's Congress session on March 7th, NPC deputy Chen Yuhui began her remarks "starting from a single seed."
As the Party Secretary and President of the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chen Yuhui focuses primarily on agricultural technology. In 2025, the soybean variety "Kedou 91," developed by the academy, was traded on a technology transfer platform for 31.55 million yuan, a price nearly four times its base value. This led many attendees, both domestic and international, to wonder: how can a single seed be worth so much?
Chen Yuhui explained, "The seed has a price, but talent is priceless. Behind this figure is not the price of the seed itself, but the value of the scientific researchers." Over the past five years, leveraging policy benefits from initiatives like the "60 Measures for Revitalizing Longjiang Talent in the New Era," Heilongjiang Province has seen a leap in the number of high-level talents introduced and cultivated, with the total talent pool in the province increasing by over 300,000 people.
"Leaving the achievements with the farmers, and holding the talents in the palm of our hands," Chen Yuhui's poignant statement resonated with the audience. She emphasized the strong atmosphere in Heilongjiang of valuing, loving, nurturing, and encouraging talent, and personally expressed the academy's sincerity in attracting talent.
First, the academy proactively recruits talent, shifting from a passive "waiting" approach to an active "knocking on doors" strategy. All 43 heads of the academy's research institutes have been mobilized to visit 12 agricultural universities across China, actively promoting opportunities and creating a new landscape for talent acquisition. In 2025, for the first time, more than 50% of the talents introduced by the academy came from outside the province.
Second, the academy dedicates effort to retaining talent by transforming "management" into "service." "We provide substantial financial incentives, directly rewarding over 70% of the net profits from technology transfers to the research teams themselves. In 2025, the academy's revenue from technology transfers reached a record high of 233 million yuan," Chen stated.
Third, talent is cultivated through practical experience, moving from the "study" to the "field." Chen Yuhui said, "If your feet aren't muddy, your research papers lack grounding; if your hands aren't calloused, your achievements are hollow. The root of agricultural research is in the fields, and the path for talent growth is on the front lines. We actively connect with all 13 prefecture-level cities in the province to build extensive science and technology service platforms, encouraging researchers to step out of the laboratory and into the farmlands."
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