China Beijing to host World Seed Congress

This year's World Seed Congress will be held at the Qinglong Lake International Cultural Center in Beijing (Fengtai district), China from May 24 to 28.
 
The event, initiated by the International Seed Federation (ISF), is the largest annual gathering of its kind in the world.

The ISF World Seed Congress 2014, with the theme of "little seeds, great dreams", will carry out a number of activities including trade forums, exhibitions and various meetings.

So far, preparations for the event have made great progress. The construction of an exhibition base which covers an area of 28.84 hectares has nearly been completed. It will showcase 1,200 varieties of seeds from seven international enterprises, 20 domestic companies and four scientific research institutions.

Meanwhile, the seed testing laboratory covering a total area of 1,800 square meters has officially been in use since last September. In addition, supporting projects surrounding the congress venue, such as roads, a transformer substation and water recycling plant have also been completed.

A total of 1,374 participants from 59 countries and regions have registered online, 257 of them from mainland of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The congress has received 4.02 million yuan ($643,600) from its sponsors, including seven international companies and seven domestic enterprises.

"Fengtai has the ability to host international conferences – in particular, professional meetings in the seed industry," said Liu Yu, deputy head of Fengtai district.

Since 1992, Fengtai has successfully hosted the Beijing Seed Conference, providing an exchange platform for the nation's seed industry and gaining rich experience in hosting large seed conferences.

The World Seed Congress is expected to promote the economy of the seed industry in Beijing and develop the city into a global center for trade and exchange in the industry.

"The event is a good opportunity for Beijing to gain advanced experience and technology from the international seed industry. It will promote the seed trade and provide a stage for China’s seed industry to showcase its latest achievements," said Zheng Yu, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture.