Syngenta Group’s China Rice Seed Supply Chain Innovation Center to become operational by end of month

The construction of Syngenta Group’s China Rice Seed Supply Chain Innovation Center in Jianning County, Sanming City, Fujian Province was completed on November 18.

The innovation center will be one of the leading automated rice seed processing plants, with digitalization and visualization of rice seed breeding, processing, and distribution. The innovation center will also provide producers with remote sensing, accurate meteorology, precision crop protection, and farm management services.

The center will effectively reduce seed processing and logistical costs, enhance Syngenta Group’s capabilities in the development of quality seed, warehousing management, safe production, and intellectual property protection. It will increase the capacity of seed supply and improve the level of technical service for the seed industry.

The center uses highly automated seed processing technology and a workflow for an assortment of rice seeds according to the different characteristics of rice seeds, thus selecting high-quality seeds for packaged sale. 

In terms of innovation in process design, equipment deployment, configuration, and automated packaging, what is built is a safe, efficient, and high-quality rice seed production system with a leading automation level in the rice seed industry.

The center takes the lead in China in implementing a high-standard field quality management system that would strictly control all breeding steps from selection of early parents to harvesting, thus ensuring the seed quality.

Blockchain technology has set up of China’s first whole-process traceability, covering breeding up to marketing, which is a safeguard for effective control of seed quality and satisfactory growing of crops. 

As backed up by digital tools, which can improve efficiency and quality, the innovation center has collaborated with Sinochem’s MAP Digital Science Team in the creation of the ″smart seed production″ digital tool, aiming to digitalize the whole-process rice seed production, improving the quality and efficiency of seed production. 

The ″smart seed production″ platform will enable digitalization of the whole process of seed breeding. As a result, the selection will become more scientific, and purchase order management will become more systematic. Breeding will become more standardized, warehousing management more digitalized, and data becomes more valuable. The data-based operation will accelerate the launches of new varieties and ensure continuous seed breeding optimization. 

Innovative and patented technologies will improve sustainability. The circulative fumigation technology shortens the fumigation time by five to seven days and makes fumigation safer. The exhaust gas treatment contributes to green development, and automation increases the processing efficiency by ten times and reduces labor input by 90%.

As a comprehensive facility, which integrates production, warehousing, processing, and logistics, the services of the innovation center will spread from Jianning to the whole country to promote an integrated development of the seed industry. 

This modern seed industry technology service center is bound to provide whole-process digital breeding and all-round digital farming services, contributing to the continuous promotion of advanced rice breeding.