Xinhua Finance, Beijing, August 14 (Zhang Baohe) - On August 13, the 2024 Chengde Potato Seed Industry Conference of Hebei Province was officially opened at the Qianyue Holiday Hotel. The conference was attended by several prominent figures, including Professor Jin Liping, the chief scientist of the National Potato Industry Technology System and president of the Potato Committee of the Chinese Society of Crop Sciences; Li Lianxi, a二级 inspector of the Hebei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Zhang Zhenbo, director of the Seed Industry Management Department of the Hebei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Zhang Changqing, vice director of the Chengde Municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs;隋启君, secretary general of the Potato Branch of the China Seed Association; Feng Wuping, executive deputy secretary general of the Hebei Seed Association; Tian Xiaolan, a first-grade researcher of the Hebei Provincial Science and Technology Association; Ma Hui, chief expert of the Potato Innovation Team of the Hebei Provincial Modern Agricultural Technology System; and leaders Liu Yang, Sun Liliang, Wang Jinliang, Kang Haibo, Tan Fu, Qu Jingyou from Weichang County. Over 300 representatives from the government, industry, academia, and research gathered together, using "potatoes" as a medium to discuss the new future of potato industry development.

Seeds are the "chip" of agriculture, and the seed industry is a strategically important and foundational core industry of the country, serving as the foundation for promoting the long-term stable development of agriculture and ensuring national food security. Weichang County has a cold and cool climate, with rain and heat occurring in the same season and abundant sunlight, providing得天独厚的 natural conditions for the growth and development of potatoes. The annual planting area of potatoes within the county exceeds 650,000 mu, accounting for one-fourth of the total sown area in the province; the yield per mu exceeds 2,200 kilograms, with a total output of 1.65 million tons, and an annual output value of 2.5 billion yuan, ranking first in single-crop output in the cool and cold cropping area. In particular, the technology for seed potato breeding is leading, and it has become an important research and development base and breeding center for seed potatoes in northern China. This conference, themed "Carrying out the mission of the times, composing a chapter of the seed industry," delves into the development direction of the national seed potato industry, focuses on independent technological innovation in the seed industry, builds an open, cooperative, mutually beneficial, and win-win communication platform for the potato seed industry, and accelerates the revitalization of the seed industry.

At the opening ceremony, Sun Liliang, the county mayor of the Weichang Mongolian and Mongolian Autonomous County of Hebei Province, delivered a welcome speech. The secretary general of the Potato Branch of the China Seed Association,隋启君, the second-level inspector of the Hebei Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Li Lianxi, the executive deputy secretary general of the Hebei Seed Association, Feng Wuping, and the vice director of the Chengde Municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Zhang Changqing, spoke in turn. Liu Yang, the secretary of the Communist Party of China in Weichang Mongolian and Mongolian Autonomous County, announced the opening of the conference. Tan Fu, the deputy county mayor of Weichang Mongolian and Mongolian Autonomous County, introduced the "General Situation and Development Vision of the Potato Industry in Weichang County." Subsequently, Tian Xiaolan, a first-grade researcher of the Hebei Provincial Science and Technology Association, presented awards to the Hebei Potato Science and Technology Research Institute and the Hebei Weichang Potato Science Popularization Education Base.