????Anna Zhao ????anna.whizh@yahoo.com ????SHENZHEN took a significant step toward fostering a local Silicon Valley of agricultural seed-breeding Friday, with the signing of a strategic cooperation contract between Shenzhen-based genome sequencing giant BGI and Shenzhen Agricultural Science Group Co. ????The parties signed the contract at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, prior to the opening of the 15th China Hi-Tech Fair. The cooperation will include scientific research, technological development, agricultural industrialization and construction of ecological centers. ????BGI executive director Wang Jun said sufficient food supplies, food safety and nutrition are people’s three core concerns regarding agriculture, a leading issue facing a world that remains riddled with hunger. ????The cooperation could create new opportunities for China’s agricultural development, the parties said, by accelerating technological breakthroughs by joining BGI’s seed-breeding technology and genomic sequencing with Shenzhen Agricultural Science Group Co.’s market resources and leading position in the agricultural industry. ????Li Jingsheng, president of Shenzhen Agricultural Science Group, said the cooperation is in line with the national plan for agricultural development and reflects long-term plans to develop an international biological center in Shenzhen. Li said the cooperation will expedite the transformation of BGI’s cutting-edge technologies into productivity. ????The cooperation also could boost the development of new agriculture products in China and across the world, the parties said. | 