In 2015, local governments had earnestly practiced the guiding principles established by the third, fourth and fifth plenary sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and actively undertook responsibilities, overcame difficulties, joint forces to promote seed industry reform and mechanism innovation. New policies and initiatives were raised, and prominent, interim success was achieved, which brought new vitality to the development of modern seed industry.
1. Efforts were made to enhance the pilot programs for seed industry scientific research achievement rights and interests reform MoA worked with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education, and started pilot programs for seed industry scientific research achievement rights and interests reform in Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and China Agriculture University. Under the guidance and with the support of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Committee, and the Organization Department of the Central Committee, through lawful empowerment, public transformation and classified management, the reform mechanism was deepened, and policies were established, and formed a new mechanism that features market-oriented scientific research, scientific achievement and industry production transformation and scientists helping industry innovation. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Resources worked with MoA and complied and published Guiding Opinions on Encouraging Leading Institutional Scientists in to Provide Technological Services for Seed Companies in order to motivate scientists and stimulate innovations. Pilot programs' achievement transformation efficiency was impressive, and scientists actively served and worked closely with seed companies; vital and enthusiastic innovations were seen. The detachment between agricultural research institutions and their associated seed companies was substantially completed. Some 151 companies completed the detachment.
2. New progresses were made in national-level seed cultivation and production bases Upon approval from the State Council, MoA cooperated with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources and Hainan provincial government, and compiled and published the Construction Plan for Hainan National Breeding and Multiplication Base (year of 2015-2025), and held a national conference to arrange the implementation of the plan. The Ministry of Finance arranged 190 million yuan of special fund, and the Hainan government facilitated the implementation of plan. At the same time, the National Development and Reform Commission reviewed, approved and started the construction of Gansu corn seed-base, and facilitated the review and approval for Sichuan rice seed base. The Ministry of Finance singled out funding to award major seed production counties, and arranged 300 million yuan to award and subsidize these counties. China Insurance Regulatory Commission promoted the implementation of agricultural seed production insurance. Since 2015, more than 113 300 hectares of rice, corn and wheat have been insured, with 1.57 billion yuan sum assured. Some 80 million yuan loss has been settled. The insurance coverage facilitated the seed production to concentrate to advantageous areas, and state-level corn and rice seed bases took up more than 70 percent and 55 percent of the total area of seed base, respectively. After thorough investigation and discussion, MoA compiled a Report on the Location and Construction of National Good Seed Production Base and 15 sub-reports on corn, rice and wheat and other grains, and proposed ideas on the location and construction plans as well as policies for good seed's production base.
3. Substantial progress was made in joint research of corn and soybean good seed MoA formed two teams led by two academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dai Jingrui and Gai Junyi, to conduct com and soybean good seed joint research. MoA also organized seed research institutions to cooperate with leading seed companies to conduct the joint research. Through constructing industrialized, innovative platforms for seed cultivation, joint research, investigation and examination were intensified. Since 2015， some 27 examine stations were established in 12 provinces, including Liaoning and Henan. More than 6 000 samples of corns, over 800 samples of soybeans were examined for seed quality phenotype and genetically fingerprinted. Some 12 new corn and soybean combination examination stations were built in 9 provinces including Heilongjiang and Anhui. Some 3 734 new corn combinations and 220 soybean advanced generation lines were examined. More than 1 900 types of drought-resistant, disease-resistant, lodging-resistant and high nitrogen utilization efficiency seed were selected, and 33 types of good seeds that are highly productive, stress tolerant and machine-harvestable were cultivated. The Ministry of Science and Technology worked with the Ministry of Finance and MoA, and set up special research projects for 7 major types of seeds, and these projects has been enlisted in the first round of State Major Basic Research Program. The three ministries also started the implementation of some research establishment, and at the same time, and proposed a major project to implement seed industry's self-independent innovation. MoA, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology published Medium and Longterm Planning for Protection and Utilization of Agricultural Seed Substance Resources in China, and the Ministry of Finance arranged 30 million yuan to start the third round of national agricultural seed substance resource survey and collection.
4. Supportive policies for companies' innovation were strengthened MoA opened up a green channel for reviewing new types of seeds, aiming at integrating cultivation, breeding and promotion. Companies tested more than 1 300 types of seeds, and 10 of them passed the national examination, which highly motivated companies' enthusiasm to innovate. The top 10 companies invested 0.7 billion yuan in total in research. Jinbiaoji and Huazhi seed cultivation platforms provided technical support for more than 100 research institutions and companies, and completed more than 10 000 samples of corn and rice genome-wide analyses. The Ministry of Finance worked with the Agricultural Development Bank of China and SinoChem Group and established modern seed development fund. 2015 saw 566 million yuan of added investment, and 6 more companies were supported by the fund on top of 10 original companies. The total investment reached 933 million yuan. Bank of China worked with MoA, China Banking Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission and other departments, and researched on guiding opinions on how finance could serve the modern seed industry, and provided supporting measures to help with enterprises' credit loan support, initial public offering and "going out". These measures facilitated seed industry's merger and acquisition, as well as resource integration.
