Shenzhen Creates a Hub for Agricultural Innovation to Drive National Agricultural Upgrading

Securities Times reporter, Yu Shengliang

Following the achievements in the field of biological breeding in Shenzhen, Securities Times reporter recently interviewed the Rural Revitalization and Collaboration Exchange Bureau (hereinafter referred to as "the Bureau"). According to the introduction, the government has launched innovative policies and integrated resources to create a strategic high ground for agricultural technology innovation in Shenzhen. Shenzhen's agricultural breeding is focusing on breaking through the bottleneck of technological innovation, through the creation of an "agricultural Silicon Valley" that radiates cutting-edge technology nationwide.

Securities Times reporter: How does Shenzhen attract numerous research experts?

The Bureau: Although Shenzhen lacks traditional agricultural foundations, it can still attract a large number of agricultural research experts. The core reason is that the government has launched innovative policies and integrated resources to create a strategic high ground for agricultural technology innovation in Shenzhen. One is the attractive power of talent policies and innovation ecology. Shenzhen has always regarded talent as its most valuable treasure and strongest life force. Through the "Peacock Plan" and "High-Level Talent Plan", etc., we have established a multi-layered talent policy system, forming an atmosphere of "the world's best minds gathered in this city". At the same time, Shenzhen has broken through the traditional research institution setup limitations and established flexible new-type research institutions (such as the Shenzhen Agricultural Genome Institute, the Shenzhen Advanced Technology Research Institute), providing experts with a free exploration of scientific research environments.

Two is internationalized research platforms and industrial transformation advantages. Shenzhen has gathered major research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Shenzhen Agricultural Genome Institute, the Chinese Agricultural University's Shenzhen Research Institute, etc., establishing 48 national key laboratories and cooperating with international organizations (such as the International Rice Institute, the International Semiarid Tropic Crop Institute), constructing a global leading-edge scientific network. In addition, Shenzhen's technology companies (such as Huawei, Tencent, and Huada Gene) have actively provided technical support for biological breeding and digital agriculture, promoting the transformation of results.

Securities Times reporter: What is the government's strategic intention in introducing agricultural breeding experts?

The Bureau: The government's strategic intention is to break through the bottleneck of agricultural technology, grasp the high ground of technological innovation, and ensure national food security. Shenzhen focuses on cutting-edge fields such as biological breeding and digital agriculture, aiming to break down technical barriers, solve dependence on imported seeds, and create a "farm-to-table" supply chain. In addition, Shenzhen plans to build an agricultural Silicon Valley, aiming to radiate cutting-edge technology nationwide.

Securities Times reporter: How does Shenzhen support these R&D enterprises in landing, and how can the supporting funds be more effective?

The Bureau: Shenzhen has built a precise high-efficiency policy system and innovation mechanism to comprehensively support R&D enterprises. In terms of financial support, we have implemented differentiated subsidies for different-scale enterprises, while adding 15% tax deductions and research expenses reimbursement policies for high-tech enterprises, forming a "direct assistance + tax relief" dual incentive mechanism; in terms of physical space guarantees, we have reduced government rental fees by half, provided social housing subsidies, and conducted targeted renovation subsidies for technological buildings, lowering the costs of R&D enterprises. We have also set up a talent housing subsidy policy to attract innovative talent.

Through the Shenzhen National Agricultural Technology Park and Guangming Science City platforms, we have integrated national-level research resources, established technology innovation seed funds, and promoted the integration of production and education, forming an ecological circle of "policy adaptation + resource coordination".

Securities Times reporter: How will Shenzhen's agricultural breeding achievements be pushed nationwide in 2025?

The Bureau: On the one hand, we support enterprises to conduct crop or livestock new varieties' demonstration and promotion in suitable production areas; on the other hand, through participation in the Guangdong Modern Agriculture Exhibition, China Seed Industry Conference, Guangdong Agricultural Exhibition, and regular variety matching meetings, etc., we actively promote Shenzhen's agricultural breeding achievements, expanding Shenzhen's influence.

Securities Times reporter: What is the government's vision for developing agriculture in Shenzhen?

The Bureau: One is to build an international agricultural technology innovation high ground. Shenzhen has committed itself to creating an "agricultural Silicon Valley", integrating biological breeding resources, and focusing on breaking through technological bottlenecks. We also plan to establish a quality resource library and intelligent genome library to protect and utilize global top-quality seed resources.

Two is to build a "farm-to-table" integrated industry chain. We focus on supporting R&D enterprises in the agricultural breeding industry, promoting the construction of core breeding bases, expansion bases, and processing bases, forming a comprehensive supply chain from R&D to production to marketing.

Three is to cultivate an agricultural industrial cluster and headquarters economy. The government has launched policies and funds to support the development of agricultural leading enterprises, forming a headquarters economy cluster effect, becoming a global source of agricultural innovation and a strategic cornerstone for national food security, and forming a globally influential agricultural industry cluster.

Securities Times reporter: How can the investment return be repaid?

The Bureau: Agriculture is a strategic, basic, and core industry, involving national food security, biological technology security, etc. So, social benefits are more pronounced, and it's difficult to simply calculate tax revenues to measure returns. Social benefits mainly manifest in crop yields, seed independence, farmer income increases, biological technology breakthroughs, and industrial chain driving.

One is the crop yield increase aspect. For example, Shenzhen's agricultural enterprises have collectively bred 98 rice varieties that have passed national and provincial reviews, promoting a total of approximately 81 million mu of rice production, resulting in an additional 26.3 million tons of rice for farmers.

Two is the seed independence and farmer income increase aspect. In the 1990s, China experienced a widespread cotton bollworm disaster, with transgenic cotton varieties developed by multinational companies occupying over 95% of the Chinese market. Creative Century Seed has the domestic only large-scale industrialized transgenic cotton core technology patent, which has helped the country and farmers earn more than 18 billion yuan. Currently, domestically produced transgenic cotton has occupied over 99% of the Chinese market.

Three is the biological technology breakthrough and industrial chain driving aspect. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Shenzhen Agricultural Genome Institute's researcher, Lao Erwei, developed high-performance gene editing technology and applied it to crop breeding, with broad prospects for applications in plant breeding.