Scientists have successfully grown rice in the harsh deserts of China’s Xinjiang region in half the time compared to conventional farming methods, a major step in the country’s campaign to ensure food security.
A new type of rapeseed engineered in China can improve upon yields by 50 per cent, increasing the domestic harvest of edible oil and lessening the country’s reliance on imports.
Though trade ties have taken a hit in other areas, the EU’s agriculture commissioner says a stronger relationship between China and Europe can and should exist in food and farming products.
China has set a goal for higher grain yields by 2030 – a necessity only likely to grow more acute as its stock of arable land has stagnated and the global food market has become more volatile.
China is accelerating commercialisation of higher-yielding genetically modified (GM) crops as part of its efforts to improve agricultural efficiency amid Beijing’s food security push.