September 2026 saw a concentration of major events in the seed industry. The core developments in the seed industry this month are reviewed below from five dimensions: market, enterprises, trade, policies and varieties:
In the market, on 4 September, 2026, the 33rd China Beijing Seed Industry Conference opened in Fengtai, Beijing, marking the start of the smart breeding era, while the National Seed Double Exchange Fair and the National Meeting of Provincial Seed Station Directors convened in Hefei from 10 to 12 September, releasing the 2026–2027 seed supply-demand outlook and 14th Five-Year Plan breeding achievements.
In terms of enterprises and supply, from July to August 2026, H1 results of 13 listed seed companies showed a "seven profit, six loss" polarisation, while Qiule Seed advanced its ten-year "core" strategy, releasing 10 new corn varieties and two strong-gluten wheat varieties.
In terms of trade, in August 2026, China's soybean, corn and vegetable seed imports fell 45.24% MoM while seed exports rose 38.69% MoM; from January to August, major grain imports rose 10.92% YoY, with August grain imports up 0.25% MoM.
In terms of policies, on 28 August, 2026, the newly revised Agricultural Law was adopted, writing "maintaining seed industry security" into China's fundamental agricultural law for the first time, and on 7 September, MARA answered journalists' questions on the revised Measures for the Recommendation and Publication of Agricultural Leading Varieties and Major Promoted Technologies.
In terms of varieties, on 4 September, 2026, 41 major crop varieties approved in Chongqing were publicised (17 rice, 19 corn, four soybean, one wheat), and on 8 September, 2026, the first batch of 95 approved varieties in Shandong was publicised (65 corn, 13 cotton, seven rice, three soybean, seven wheat).
The USD/CNY exchange rate used is USD1.00=CNY6.7809, sourced from the People's Bank of China on 1 September, 2026.
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