Feasibility Analysis and Policy Recommendations for Production of Hybrid Rice Seed in Foreign Countries

In the economic new normal, production of hybrid rice seed in foreign countries is the necessity for reducing farmland area occupied by seed production, for ensuring national grain security, realizing cost reducing and quality improving of hybrid rice seed, strengthening competitive power at international market, guiding seed industry of China to go out, building transnational seed groups with core competitive power, establishing close relationship with developing countries, promoting the construction of One Belt One Road strategy, serving overall situation of diplomacy, and setting up excellent international image. It is feasible to produce hybrid seed in foreign countries considering (i) high overall national strength of China, (ii) rapid and healthy growth of China’s seed industry and increasingly mature hybrid rice seed production technologies, (iii) excellent climatic conditions of foreign host countries of seed production, and (iv) low land and labor price of foreign host countries of seed production. However, there are social and policy risks, technology and trade barrier risks, market, production, and other risks for production of hybrid rice seed in foreign countries. In view of these, it came up with recommendations, including allowing delivering parent seeds of hybrid rice to foreign countries, allowing delivering hybrid rice seed to China, solving the problem of “opening in protection, and protection in opening”, and formulating a package of support policies.