As part of an ongoing conversation on cooperation within the seed industry, 26 agronomists from the Sino-Pakistani "Thousand Talents Program" visited the Sweet Potato Science and Technology Institute in Sanya for field investigations, thematic discussions, and technical exchanges.

During the event—in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complete industrial chain of China's seed breeding industry from scientific research to application—the Pakistani agronomists and local scientific researchers visited the Sanya Sweet Potato Science and Technology Institute’s seed breeding research base and test fields.

A team of experts from the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Group gave a detailed presentation to the Pakistani agronomists on their company's innovative breeding achievements in specialty cash crops such as sweet potatoes, corn, and watermelons; and the successful experience of science and technology institutions in industry-university-research integration, and in cultivating future agronomists.

During the concurrent symposium on the southern Chinese seed breeding industry known as "Nanfan," China and Pakistan held intensive bilateral discussions on topics such as the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, plant breeding technology, and smart agricultural management. Praising the successes of the local system construction, the Pakistani agronomists expressed a desire to learn from the Chinese experience and to use it to strengthen their own systems of agricultural science and technology.

As one of Hainan's top seed breeding facilities, the Sanya Sweet Potato Science and Technology Institute uses high technology seed breeding, tissue culture, and plant propagation techniques in their innovative research into creating disease resistant sweet potato seedlings for the industrial scale development of Hainan's sweet potato industry.

This special visit of agronomists from the joint Sino-Pakistani "Thousand Talents Program" is one of the many initiatives undertaken by the Sanya Sweet Potato Science and Technology Institute to promote international cooperation in agricultural science and technology.