China’s race for better-performing seed (Germination magazine)

Germination published an article on the neck and neck battle that China’s seed companies are investing in technology like never before. With nearly 1.4 billion mouths to feed and an ever-expanding middle and upper-middle class, China is sprinting to grow domestic ag production. Growers and producers in the country are seeking more efficient weight gain in livestock and higher yielding grain crops. Senior research fellow, Joseph Glauber said, “[Some of China’s] demand has increased because of the rebound in the hog population.” Whether through mergers and acquisitions or increased investment in companies already formed, it appears China is scaling efforts in seed research. “This is a good thing,” Glauber said. “While there has been a decline [in research spending] over the past 15 years [in certain countries], we have seen the growth is emerging economies like Brazil and China. Thankfully, we’re seeing real investment in agriculture.