China is setting up a national crop seed bank, which is expected to be completed this year, a national political advisor said Thursday.
The new germplasm pool will be capable of storing 1.5 million pieces of various crops, the world's largest, said Wan Jianmin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and also vice president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
He made the remarks Thursday afternoon before the opening of the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, the country's top political advisory body.
Wan said the annual grain output of China has been kept at over 650 billion kg for six consecutive years, with the per capita share exceeding 470 kg, higher than the internationally-recognized security baseline of 400 kg.
The output of rice and wheat, the staple grains in China, has exceeded demand for many years, he said.
With the breeding efforts over the last five years, the total plantation area of China's independently-bred crop varieties has accounted for more than 95 percent of the country's total.
"We can say that 'Chinese grains' now mainly rely on 'Chinese seeds,'" he said.
