Seeds reap rewards in BRI regions

In the farmlands, the food group plants paddy rice, rapeseed, sunflower and corn and provides professional experts to support the planting.

In May 2011, the company founded a subsidiary in the southeastern European country. To date, its investment has hit $58.6 million in the country.

Muhammad Siddiq, managing director of Kora Seeds Co, in Pakistan, said his company's seed imports from China have grown by 20 to 30 percent in recent years due to "the quality and reasonable prices".

Lu Feng - general manager of Beijing-based Atlas Seeds Co, which has sold about 100 metric tons of seeds per year to Pakistan over the past 10 years - said the company has seen annual sales growth of 10 to 20 percent due to the competence of its research center.

"In recent years, BRI countries have tightened policies in seed imports," Feng said. "However, Chinese companies benefit from the policies' disciplinary management and law-abiding commitment, and their business performance is even better."

Cui Yehan, an official at the Development Center for Science and Technology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, indicated that in recent years, Chinese companies have devoted much more attention to intellectual property rights protection in advanced vegetable plantations involving great scientific and technological devotion.

Last year, the number of Chinese companies and research organs that applied for Plant Variety Protection certificates - the IPR protection certificates in the sector - hit a record high of 4,854, he said.

Statistics from the China National Seed Trade Association indicated that China's seed exports went from earning $132 million in 2000 to $694 million in 2018.