China's largest hybrid corn seed production base, located in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, has set a target to achieve an annual seed output of 600 million kilograms during the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

This goal was announced at a press conference held by the Gansu Provincial Government Information Office. The city of Zhangye aims to establish itself as a leading hub for the development of China's modern seed industry.

Over the next five years, Zhangye plans to maintain a stable corn seed production area of 1.1 million mu (approximately 73,333 hectares) while working towards the ambitious 600-million-kilogram annual production target.

Zhangye is renowned as the "golden belt" for corn seed production, supplying approximately half of all corn seeds used across China. The seeds produced in the region are noted for their plump kernels, bright color, and germination rates, purity, and cleanliness that exceed global quality standards.

The city's dedicated corn seed production area has remained consistently above 1.1 million mu for five consecutive years, with an annual output consistently exceeding 450 million kilograms.

Lu Sidong, Vice Mayor of Zhangye, outlined the city's strategy to cultivate 5 to 10 leading enterprises with robust scientific and technological capabilities. The goal is to establish more than 10 integrated companies specializing in breeding, propagation, and promotion.

This initiative aims to develop competitive capabilities in cutting-edge fields such as smart breeding and biological breeding, enabling these companies to compete directly with major domestic and international seed industry players.

Vice Mayor Lu further stated that the city will leverage the Zhangye National Corn Seed Industrial Park to actively foster seed export enterprises.

Concurrently, Zhangye plans a comprehensive upgrade of its corn seed production bases, deeply integrating technologies like the Internet of Things and big data to construct smart agriculture application scenarios.

Yerboli Zihan, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Zhangye, emphasized the city's commitment to accelerating the development of a national corn seed processing base and distribution center.

The focus will be on cultivating leading enterprises and driving innovation in seed industry technology. A key objective is to strive for national recognition as an Agricultural High-tech Industry Demonstration Zone, thereby consolidating and enhancing Zhangye's dominant position as the country's primary corn seed production base.