Scientists look to improve yields of crops

More than 400 agricultural scientists from the mainland and Taiwan gathered in Beijing on Tuesday to exchange ideas and new technologies to raise crop yields.

The Beijing-Taipei Young Scientists Forum, which began in 2004, will focus on modern agriculture, specifically logistics and water-resource management technologies to combat extreme weather. In the past, topics at the forum, sponsored by the Beijing government and the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, included Olympic technologies, cultural industry and smart city solutions.

Scientists from across the Taiwan Straits will sit down and exchange their experiences with cultivating major crops and ideas about adding value to the agricultural industry.

Xia Xiang, vice-president of Beijing Association of Science and Technology, said this year's meeting will look at topography, biology and other fields of science to "generate good ideas to deal with flooding and hot temperatures that are affecting the country's yields every year".

Agricultural products, especially fruits, have been important exports from Taiwan, and Wang Zhiwen, head of a Taiwan training institute for farmers, said extending a crop's value is important.

He said strawberries are not only fruits in Taiwan, but a raw material for beers in major producing areas.

"So by extending the industry chain, we can extract more value from these agricultural products," Wang said.