A 13-year agricultural science and technology innovation project will be launched this year to improve the country's level of technology and international competitiveness, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced on Jan 21.

Research items under the project will cover prominent agricultural problems in China, such as breeding, animal epidemic disease control, and quality standards on agricultural products, said Li Jiayang, vice-minister of agriculture and president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

"For China, developing agricultural technology is a core issue to ensure sufficient supply of high quality, safe agricultural products in the future," he said at a news conference in Beijing.

Rising food demand from population growth, decrease in arable land and water shortages are major challenges the country must address, he said.

China is under intense pressure from international competition. Besides developed economies, some developing economies, such as Brazil and India, have made great improvements in agricultural technology, according to a statement released by the academy.

As a part of the project, the academy announced on Jan 21 it is beginning global recruitment for the head of its Institute of Plant Protection.