The seed industry is a strategic and fundamental core sector for ensuring national food security. In 2021, China launched a seed industry revitalization initiative, setting clear targets: "a good start in the first year, a solid foundation in three years, visible results in five years, and major breakthroughs in ten years." It has been learned that the goal of achieving "visible results in five years" has now been completed as scheduled.
By the end of 2025, China had established national germplasm resource banks for crops, livestock and poultry, and marine fisheries. The total amount of germplasm resources for crops, livestock, and aquaculture preserved long-term has risen to rank first in the world. Over 100,000 resource samples were distributed throughout the year, effectively serving entities engaged in breeding innovation. At the National Marine Fishery Biological Germplasm Resource Bank, staff are intensifying efforts to conduct precise identification of the phenotype and genotype of aquatic germplasm resources being stored. The bank has so far collected and preserved a total of 145,791 physical resource samples, including genes, cells, microorganisms, and live organisms. Shao Changwei, head of the National Marine Fishery Biological Germplasm Resource Bank, stated: "This year, we will formulate a collection and preservation plan for the '16th Five-Year Plan' period, aiming towards the construction target of 340,000 resource samples for the bank. We will identify a batch of excellent resources and accelerate their improvement and utilization to provide better assurance for the germplasm security of the national marine fishery industry."
Currently, independently bred crop varieties account for more than 95% of the planted area in China. The modernization levels of four national breeding and seed production bases—corn in Gansu, rice in Sichuan, soybeans in Heilongjiang, and the Hainan winter multiplication base—along with a number of other superior seed production bases, continue to improve. At Heilongjiang's first breeding R&D service platform, researchers have already screened over 2,000 high-quality soybean breeding materials through processes such as quality testing and manual selection. Guan Fangshuo, Director of the Soybean Breeding Innovation R&D Center at the Wudalianchi National Modern Agricultural Industrial Park, said: "Our main focus is on varieties with high oil content, high protein content, and wide adaptability. In 2026, our R&D center will continue to leverage its platform role to assist enterprises in enhancing their scientific research capabilities. At the same time, we will continue to deepen cooperation with universities and research institutes to provide technical service support for scientific research projects."
China's overall scientific and technological innovation in the seed industry has now entered the world's top tier. Enterprises lead more than 50% of the scientific and technological攻关 tasks, and R&D investment by national leading crop seed enterprises in 2025 doubled compared to 2020. Tao Weiguo, Head of the Innovation Development Division of the Seed Industry Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated: "The '16th Five-Year Plan' period is a critical time for consolidating the foundation and making a comprehensive push in seed industry revitalization. This year, we will further promote organized scientific research and systematic攻关, focusing on ensuring food security and the supply of important agricultural products. We will accelerate the breeding of new breakthrough varieties that are high-yielding, high-quality, stress-resistant, and specialized, thereby solidifying the trend of 'Chinese grain' primarily using 'Chinese seeds'."
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