Huaihua is the birthplace of hybrid rice and a favorable place for bio-mutation. It is an important base for the purification, rejuvenation, reproduction and seed production of the parent plants of two-line and three-line hybrid rice. It is known as the “germplasm resource innovation center” of rice in southern China. Huaihua is also one of the three major hybrid rice seed production bases in China. It has two national seed production counties, with a seed production area of over 120,000 mu (8,000 hectares) and an annual output of over 22 million kilograms of high-quality hybrid rice seeds, accounting for about one-third of the total seed production area and output of Hunan Province. Huaihua boasts rich germplasm resources. It is home to 3,716 plant species, with 32 species under special state protection. Huaihua is the largest production base for Poria cocos seeds and sugar oranges in China. It produces over 70% of the country’s sugar oranges and Poria cocos. The city has 15 national geographical indication products and nine products recognized as famous, quality, special and new agricultural products in China. It has two national breed conservation farms for local livestock and poultry genetic resources — for black pigs in western Hunan Province and goose in Xupu, respectively; three provincial breed conservation farms for local livestock and poultry genetic resources — for pigs in Liangsan Town, pigs in Longtan Town and black-bone chicken in Xuefeng Mountain, respectively; 12 livestock and poultry breeding farms, three service boar stations, and two provincial core breeding farms. It is home to 15 seed production and breeding platforms, including the Western Hunan Regional Center of Yuelu Mountain Seed Industry Innovation Center, Huaihua Sub-center of Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, National Regional New Crop Variety Certification Test Station, Liu Liang Academician Workstation of Zhengqing Group, and Liu Shaojun Fish Breeding Studio, five of which are at the national level. The city has 53 local seed production and operation enterprises, including OPULENT, Cloud Feel Phoenix and Tianxin Seed Industry, which have rolled out a large number of regional characteristic products, including the Qianyang sugar orange, Xuefeng black-bone chicken, Xinhuang cattle and Huaihua sealwort.
Key enterprises: Hunan OPULENT Technology, Huitong Tianxin Seed Industry, Huitong Muyeshan Rabbit Industry, Hunan Cloud Feel Phoenix Agriculture, Mayang Blue Phoenix Agricultural Development, Jingzhou Wenshi Livestock, Jingzhou Hunan-Guizhou-Guangxi Edible and Medicinal Fungi Research Institute, and Huaihua Tianling Nature Conservation Company.
Development priorities: Hybrid rice seed production, fruit breeding, livestock, poultry and aquatic breeding, and breeding of key forest trees and Chinese medicinal materials. Relying on its abundant germplasm resources, Huaihua will develop its regional characteristic products, striving to build itself into an “international city of seed industry”.
High-standard hybrid rice seed production demonstration base
（Translated by Professor Yu Jie）