A special germplasm resources breeding base at the Yangquan Selenium Industry Research Institute of Shanxi Agricultural University [Photo/Yangquan Daily]

The Yangquan Selenium Industry Research Institute of Shanxi Agricultural University was founded in Yangquan, North China's Shanxi province, on June 17. 

The institute was jointly established by the municipal government of Yangquan and Shanxi Agricultural University, and will focus on the development of the selenium industry and carry out experiments such as the breeding of special germplasm resources, standardized production of selenium-rich crops, grading certification, and serial development.

The establishment of the institute marks a new stage in the development for Yangquan's selenium-rich agricultural industry.

"Yangquan is uniquely suited to the development of selenium-rich industries," said Yan Libiao, director of the Yangquan bureau of agriculture and rural affairs.

The city's farmland soil is rich in selenium, with three times the average selenium concentration of soil in Shanxi and 2.1 times the national average. There is about 425 square kilometers of local selenium-rich arable land.

In recent years, the development of selenium-oriented agriculture has accelerated in the city, allowing local limited land resources to generate more economic benefits and helping rural development. 

To transform selenium resources into industrial and economic benefits, Yangquan has set up 10 million yuan ($1.49 million) in funds for the overall planning of the development of the selenium industry and plans to invest 10 million yuan annually in selenium-oriented agriculture development projects.

According to the circular released by local authorities this year, Yangquan will build selenium-oriented agriculture clusters integrating R&D of selenium-rich farm produce, leisure agriculture and rural tourism in rural areas, construct selenium-oriented industry production bases, incubate business entities in the selenium industry, and develop selenium-rich agricultural products with high quality, good market prospects, and strong brand competitiveness.

This year, the city will build 33 sq km of selenium-oriented industry production bases, develop three selenium-related competitive enterprises, create 10 selenium-rich agricultural product brands, and work to achieve 200 million yuan in selenium industrial output value.