China food security: Beijing moves to ‘revitalise’ seed industry as coronavirus, geopolitical tensions ramp up supply fears

China has taken another step towards unclogging a bottleneck in national food output by expanding the number of accredited seed breeders, as the country pushes for self-sufficiency in the face of rising geopolitical uncertainty.

For the first time since 2013, China has enlarged its list of state-sponsored seed breeding and production bases, adding 116 to the existing 100 hubs already operating, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.