South Korea: Seed Industry soars to new heights

A small seed can provide a competitive edge to farmers and affect the national economy. We explore Korea's seed industry, as the country takes a step toward becoming a global seed powerhouse.

Roses have opened into beautiful blooms. This rose variety is called Deep Purple. Deep Purple roses were first cross-fertilized in 2006 and registered as a new plant variety overseas in 2014.

"As you can see, Deep Purple roses have beautiful, two-toned petals. There are no thorns on stems, so they're easy to handle. They also grow fast, giving a high yield. We collect royalties by exporting this variety overseas."

Deep Purple was exported to 13 countries including Colombia, Ecuador and Kenya from 2011 to 2015, generating 1.1 million U.S. dollars. Encouraged by Deep Purple's success, the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services continue to develop new rose varieties, while carefully studying the latest trends in the global seed market.

"In Europe, English-style roses are trending. They have sepals where a pistil should be. We are developing new rose varieties, while keeping up with the latest trends."

The seed industry is considered the basis for the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. The global seed market grew, on average, 10 percent every year from 2002, reaching 45.9 billion dollars in 2013. The market is expected to grow to nearly 170 billion dollars by 2020. Korea, a country that pays about 20 million dollars in seed royalties a year, has recently entered the global seed market.

Since 2012, the Korean government has launched the "Golden Seed Project," an initiative aimed at developing competitive plant varieties. Professor Yim Yong-pyo of Chungnam National University leads the Vegetable Seed Development Division that studies five crops - napa cabbages, white radishes, paprikas, chili peppers and watermelons. Yim says a single seed can be more valuable than gold.

"If you look at the value chain in the bioindustry, seeds are the basis of different sectors ranging from agriculture, pharmaceutical, environment and energy. The impact of their value on industries is huge."

The company's R&D center in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, studies about 1,000 vegetable varieties, from napa cabbages, chili peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, onions to green onions. It's healthy and delicious vegetable seeds are both delivered to Korean farmers and exported overseas. Among them is a watermelon variety that won the All-American Selections, or AAS award, in recognition for its great garden performance. It owes the AAS honor to its unique color, high total yield, great taste, pest resistance and high sugar content. Another interesting variety developed by the company is crunchy green chili peppers without a pungent flavor, which reflect the needs of farmers and consumers alike.

"This green chili pepper variety is full of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that can reduce blood sugar. It will be beneficial to our health."

The company exports about 340 seed varieties to 190 companies in 36 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. About 130 seed varieties have been already developed, ready for market release within the next five years. The CEO of the company aims to generate 30 million dollars in exports by 2020 and believes that Korea has huge potential in the global seed market.

"Korea's advanced breeding capabilities are well-known throughout the world. Multinational companies are showing great interest and contacting Korean companies. Plenty of genetic resources are available in Korea, so I believe Korean plant breeders will continue to develop high-performing vegetable varieties."

Developing a high quality seed variety is a challenging task that often takes more than 10 years of research. It requires advanced technology and long-term investment in genome research and collection, management and cultivation of genetic resources. Korea accounts for a mere one percent of the global seed market. But the government and businesses are optimistic about its future growth.

"The seed business isn't something you can master within a year or two. It needs more time to grow. Continued investment will be the key to globalizing Korea's seed market."

Seed development is a time-consuming process full of trials and errors. Still, it is critical to the food security of future generations, which is another reason for high expectations toward Korea's seed industry.