Syngenta opens China’s first foreign-funded crop research center

Switzerland-based Syngenta has opened the Syngenta Biotechnology (China) Co. Ltd. – the first foreign-funded crop research organization in China. The center, located in Beijing’s Zhongguancun Life Science Park, is to focus on improving yields and drought resistance of crops like corn and soy, as well as conversion to biofuels. Syngenta plans to invest US $65 million in the center over the next five years.?

Syngenta – which took a 49% stake in leading Chinese corn seed company Sanbei Seed Co. Ltd., in Hebei Province earlier this year – is expanding its partnerships to contribute to further growth in Chinese agriculture with seeds and crop protection technology, said Dr. David Lawrence, head of the Syngenta Research and Development.?

Wang Xun, president of Syngenta Biotechnology China, says: "China is increasingly recognized for the scale and caliber of its biotech expertise in agriculture. Now that we have our own research base in Beijing, we can accelerate innovation and offer powerful opportunities to work more closely with Chinese research institutes, which is all the more relevant in a world that sees higher global demand for crops," he said.