Market Trends of china seed Industry
Rice and corn accounted for more than 50% of the row crops, but government policies are increasing the cultivation of oilseeds
- China is a major agricultural producer. It accounted for 25% of the grains produced globally and fed 20% of the global population in 2022. Among cereals, rice and corn are the major crops in the country. Rice and corn had a share of more than 50% by area of cultivation. Corn is the major field crop with the highest consumption of 300 million metric ton, followed by rice with 155 million metric ton in 2022. However, it is estimated that the oilseed area will increase in the country as the government policy has the objective to stabilize the corn production and increase the soybean output, which will require a larger area to be cultivated as the country wants to decrease the dependence on imports of soybean.
- In 2022, wheat accounted for 20.9% of the field crop cultivation area because of the high demand for ethanol production, consumption by animals as feed, and demand from mills for the production of flour. Therefore, these factors also helped in the growth of the cultivation area by 1.7% from 2020 to 2022. However, the area for wheat cultivation witnessed a decrease of 2.8% from 2017 to 2022 because of the increase in the demand for oilseeds and a decrease in wheat consumption by 9.5 million metric ton from 2021 to 2022.
- Rice, canola, rapeseed, and mustard are the other major crops because of the high demand for these crops. Rice is consumed along with many Chinese dishes, due to which it has a higher demand for cultivation, and the area of cultivation for rice has increased from 30 million hectares in 2019 to 30.4 million hectares in 2022. Therefore, The high demand for consumption, government policies increasing the production of oilseeds, and the high demand for export for ethanol production will drive the cultivation area for field crops during the forecast period.
Rice and corn are major staple foods with the availability of different seed traits, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance, suitable for sustainable crop production
- Grain production, especially rice and corn in China, has grown rapidly during the past few decades, mainly due to increased yields of grain than the increased planting areas across China. Moreover, corn is an important crop cultivated by growers because it is a high-profit crop, and the growers have a high demand for traits such as disease resistance, improved grain quality, early maturity, lodging tolerance, and wider adaptability to different regions and climate conditions.
- For both crops, disease resistance is the most popular trait, while other traits, such as drought tolerance, insect resistance, moisture stress, and effective tillers with panicles, are cultivated in the country. In China, the major disease-resistant traits that are popularly used by seed companies are resistance to bacterial blight, brown planthoppers, rice blasts, early rots, and leaf diseases, and heat resistance at the heading stage, as they lead to heavy yield loss. Companies such as Bayer AG, Yuan Long-Ping Hi-tech, and Beidahuang Kenfeng Seed Co. Ltd are actively involved in breeding these varieties.
- Drought tolerance is one of the major traits produced by seed companies as there have been changes in the climatic conditions, which has led to a high demand for this seed variety by growers. For instance, in 2022, China suffered drier conditions than normal rainfall conditions, which was expected to help in increasing the demand for drought-tolerant seed varieties.
- Factors such as low water due to climatic conditions, pests, and diseases affecting the growth of crops are expected to help in the introduction of new seed varieties during the forecast period.
OTHER KEY INDUSTRY TRENDS COVERED IN THE REPORT
- Rice and corn accounted for more than 50% of the row crops, but government policies are increasing the cultivation of oilseeds
- Insect-resistant cotton and disease-resistant soybeans are in higher demand in the country to prevent yield loss
- Hybrid breeding is the major breeding method adopted in row crops and vegetables
- Potatoes and peas are the major vegetables cultivated in the country, with other vegetables also witnessing growth owing to favorable market prices
- Growing preference for disease-resistant tomato varieties and the quality attributes of specific lettuce traits are helping in the growth of the market