HAIKOU, March 20. /TASS/. The National Modern Agricultural (Seed Industry) Industrial Park in Yazhou, Sanya in southern China’s Hainan Province has become a seed Silicon Valley for plant breeders across China where more than 1,600 new varieties of agricultural plant are bred annually, the local newspaper Sanya Ribao reported.
Sanya is the only tropical Chinese seaside resort with a unique climate that makes it possible to reduce the seed breeding cycle by more than half. Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, this region has produced around 30,000 new varieties, or more than 70% of all varieties approved nationwide.
The Yazhou Industrial Park is home to more than 3,100 seed companies, including leading national and international businesses, as well as over 30 large research platforms. New technology, including Fengdeng, a seed-focused model based on AI, has been launched here. Also, crops resistant to external factors are being bred here.
In 2025, seed production in Sanya exceeded 20 billion yuan (around $2.9 billion), marking an increase of over 11% from the previous year. The upcoming Seed Conference 2026 and related events to be hosted by Sanya will strengthen international cooperation and accelerate the transformation of scientific developments into commercial products. The forum will take place from March 27-31. As many as 156 companies and research organizations will present their achievements in the field of seed breeding.