BEIJING, Dec 25 (Reuters) – President Xi Jinping wants China to speed up efforts to become self-reliant in agricultural technology, identifying key areas such as seed development and core equipment, state media reported.
Central leaders stated in 2020 that the national seed industry is a weak link in the food chain and needs to make better use of technology to turn losses into profits.
“We must keep an eye on the frontiers of the world’s agricultural science and technology,” the official Xinhua news agency quoted Mr. Xi as saying at a central rural work conference in Beijing on Friday and Saturday.
The president urged China’s agricultural sector to “vigorously step up” technology and improve innovation efficiency.
Xi urged the department to address innovation issues, such as the speed of translation into commercial applications and lack of cooperation among research teams.
China invests heavily in basic agricultural research, but few large commercial companies invest in long-term R&D to bring innovative solutions to market.
Reporting by Dominique Patton, Roxanne Liu and Bernard Orr Editing by David Goodman
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