Who are the kings of Chinese agriculture

Not only a technological and financial power but also an agri-food giant.
China occupies an important position in the trade of food and agricultural products, and it could not be otherwise given its size and the resulting structural needs.
As if that wasn't enough, precisely because we are talking about a superpower whose moves are destined to influence the entire world, the Dragon's ambitious agricultural development objectives, present and future, have had and will have a non-negligible impact on the global food supply.
In general, Beijing intends to lock down the food security front, avoiding running out of food in the event of international tensions or having to risk seeing a reduction in the consumption of particular products that have now permanently entered the diet of its population.
It is no coincidence that Chinese President Xi Jinping intends to focus on the modernization of agriculture.
Meanwhile, the numbers speak for themselves: China is the largest public agricultural research and development (R&D) system in the world, with 33% of its citizens engaged in the sector in question (more than the entire US population, noted the think tank Center for Strategic & International Studies).
It also supplies 20% of the world's food while relying on only 13% of the country's arable land.
But who are the kings of Chinese agriculture? It is urgent to first take a step aside to understand the context in which the People's Republic of China moves.
The importance of agricultural development Food is the cause (and often consequence) of conflicts, migrations and political instability.
The need to increase food security is therefore increasingly considered a strategic priority for global leaders.
In this specific case, in recent days the Chinese authorities have defined the priorities for the country's rural work in 2024, reiterating the objective of transforming China into an agricultural power.
Furthermore, with the XIII Five-Year Plan for the Development of Agricultural Science and Technology (2016-2020), China already aimed to achieve 97% self-sufficiency of main crops and a 50% increase in cereal yield growth from new variety of seeds.
The plan, which presents three phases of long-term development, aims to transform the country into a leader in scientific and technological innovation on a global level by 2050 by focusing attention around four areas: development of science technology agricultural; extension of technology; Human Resources Development; and institutional innovation.
CSIS itself noted that agricultural technology is at the heart of China's agricultural research and development, while agricultural biotechnology, including genetically modified organisms (GMOs), represents another opportunity to strengthen the sector.
The Asian giant has invested heavily in the development of GMO seeds, committing 3.7 billion dollars, which includes 585 biotechnological breeding projects.
Furthermore, in 2017, Chinese state giant ChemChina acquired Syngenta, the largest producer of agricultural chemicals and the third largest producer of seeds, as part of a broader food security strategy aimed at making China self-sufficient in food production .
The Scrooges of Chinese Agriculture Thus we arrive at the main protagonists of the Chinese agricultural sector, i.e.
the players who constitute the backbone of the Dragon's agri-food business.
China's top 10 agricultural enterprises (analyzing 2021 data) include: Guangdong Haid Group (2021 operating revenue of 85.99 billion yuan), Twins Group (86.07 billion yuan), Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy Group ( 88.14 billion yuan), Yonghui supermarkets (91.06 billion yuan), Yili (110.6 billion yuan), Beidahuang Agricultural Reclamation Group (167.42 billion yuan), WH Group (176.08 billion of yuan), Beijing Capital Agribusiness and Foods Group (183.09 billion yuan), New Hope Group (252.65 billion yuan) and COFCO Corp, the undisputed king of agri-food with 664.95 billion yuan in revenues.
As for individual entrepreneurs, we mention Bao Hongxing, president of the largest private company in the Chinese province of Jianxi, with a net worth of 1.3 billion dollars; Fu Guangming, president of Fujian Sunner Development ($1.5 billion); Qin Yinglin, president of Muyuan Foodstuff (net worth of $2 billion); Liu Yonghao, driving force behind New Hope Group ($4.6 billion); and Liu Yongxing, brother of Liu Yonghao and founder of East Hope Group (estimated net worth: $6.6 billion).
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