The 2023 Wuhan Seed Industry Expo. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

On June 2, the 2023 Wuhan Seed Industry Expo kicked off. At the opening ceremony, the implementing rules of policies for the Wuhan national modern agriculture sci-tech innovation center were officially released, followed by the signing of agreements about 16 enterprises moving into the China seed capital building, which is located in East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC).

In 2020, Wuhan was approved to build the innovation center as the first in Central China. The center was designed to mainly develop the biological seed sector, animal and biological products, and feed additives and to operate emerging businesses, such as digital agriculture, micro-orgasms in agricultural environments, and deep and intensive processing of agricultural products.

According to the implementing rules, from 2022 to 2025, governments at municipal and district levels will relocate 50 million yuan ($7.05 million) of funds to support the R&D, application, and promotion of new agricultural species, technologies, business models, and equipment.

The China seed capital building in Optics Valley of China. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

After three years of progress, the center has gathered a bath of innovative high-end resources, including 11 academician teams, 13 key laboratories at the State level or affiliated to a ministry, and 13 national or provincial engineering research technology centers. It has been home to nearly 900 agriculture sci-tech companies, including five Fortune 500 enterprises and 15 listed ones.