State Council announces reforms to stimulate seed industry

GUANGZHOU, China - Feb. 19, 2014 - PRLog -- On 25 Dec. 2013, the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued an announcement on its portal, titled "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Crop Seed System to Increase Innovation Capability" (the Opinions). The statement is expected to mature into specific guidelines for the future development of China's seed industry.

The Opinions emphasize the following aspects: allowing complete market determination in resource allocation; providing support to seed enterprises by introducing talented workforce, technology and resources; protecting the legitimate interests and rights of scientists over their inventions and creations; improving companies' innovation capabilities; and establishing a commercial breeding system.

Six measures proposed by the Opinions

To strengthen seed enterprises' leadership in technological innovation

Seed enterprises are encouraged to increase investments in R&D and establish joint-stock R&D institutes; scientific research institutes and institutions of higher learning (including universities and colleges) deemed of public interest shall be separated from seed enterprises established by them by the end of 2015, and other scientific research institutes shall be gradually transformed into enterprises (after reforms, the researchers' years of work in their original institutes shall be counted towards their pensions); new innovation platforms of seed industrial technology, such as national and provincial technical research centers, enterprise technical centers, and key laboratories, will be preferentially established in seed enterprises qualified for operating in the breeding, production and promotion fronts; among others.

To stimulate researchers' enthusiasm

Breeding materials, techniques, new varieties, and technological achievements in general developed by research centers and other institutions of public interest (including universities and colleges) with the use of national funds, are eligible to apply for intellectual property rights, and may be assigned monetary value and count as investment shares in seed enterprises; public trading platforms for technological achievements in the industry will be established; regulations for the transactions will be enacted, with private deals prohibited; cooperation between research institutes and enterprises is to receive full support; and researchers are encouraged to join enterprises and engage in commercial breeding; among others.

To intensify efforts to tackle problems in national crop breeding

Five-year plans for the breeding of major crops, such as rice, corn, rapeseed, soybean and vegetables will be designed. The aim is to improve the industry's scientific and technological innovation capabilities, by achieving core breakthroughs in key areas, such as germplasm, new varieties and the efficient propagation of seeds; the country shall help further companies' commercial breeding through various research programs and special projects, and attract social capital to participate in and emphatically foster seed enterprises that incorporate the three levels, breeding, production and promotion; research and breeding platforms shall be created, cooperation between enterprises and research institutes shall be closely established; and so on.

To improve basic and public interest research

Study fields related to the seed industry shall be strengthened; research centers and institutions of higher learning shall receive support to engage in basic and public interest research in areas such as breeding theory, general technology, and innovation of seeds, with the aim of developing modern molecular breeding technologies and methods, and creating new cultivars featuring high resistance, quality and yield; national research funds for these objectives shall be increased, while investments in the commercial breeding of hybrid rice, hybrid corn, hybrid rapeseed, hybrid cotton and vegetables conducted by research institutes and universities shall be gradually decreased; the preparation for and conduction of a national medium-to-long term plan for germplasm conservation and utilization of crops and forests shall be accelerated; and so on.

To accelerate the construction of seed production facilities

Policy support to major seed production facilities shall be increased and infrastructure for the construction of seed and seedling production facilities shall be laid down; a series of policies shall be implemented, such as insurance on seed production, subsidies on fine wood seeds and seedlings, and awards for major grain crop seed producing counties; the transfer of land-use rights to large seed producers and farmer cooperatives through land shares and land lease shall be promoted; among others.

The news sourced from Seed China News (http://www.cnchemicals.com/ResearchCenter/Newsletter/28/S...) released by CCM in January.