Beijing, China
January 28, 2013

China-Sweden Forum on Oat Research & Development was convened in Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) on January 25, 2013.Through friendly discussion, the Forum approved the Proposal on China-Sweden Oat Research & Development Cooperation, and reached an agreement to establish the China-Sweden Oat R&D Center when conditions met. The Center, which is expected to involve participation of relevant R&D institutions and enterprises of both sides, defined its aims as creating an R&D platform to integrate efforts of enterprises, universities and research institutes, and providing services to facilitate the China-Sweden joint endeavor in oat R&D.

As the origin of naked oat (Avena nuda), China is well-known for its lengthy history of oat production and significant progress in oat research and industrial development. On the other hand, Sweden is considered as a leader worldwide in oat seed production, molecular biotechnology and product R&D. Therefore, the two sides decided to conduct an array of cooperative studies on: oat germplasm development and variety breeding upon production and processing demands; oat production techniques and farming systems upon diversified conditions of various localities; popular product processing technologies upon market orientations; and practice codes and standards upon organic or green food requirements.

The Forum is co-organized by Department of International Cooperation of MOA and Swedish Embassy to China, and undertaken by International Cooperation Department and Crop Science Institute of CAAS. It is believed that the Forum will play an important role in promoting academic level of oat industry for the two countries, accelerating China’s oat S&T progress and industrialization, and strengthening communication and collaboration between Chinese and Swedish professionals in relevant fields.

Website: http://www.agri.gov.cn

Published: January 28, 2013