Zhongnong Haidao

What Zhongnong Haidao does

Zhongnong Haidao (中农海稻) is a Shenzhen-based AgTech company established in April 2018 as a results-transformation vehicle of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Shenzhen Agricultural Genomics Institute. The company operates three integrated business lines: (1) sea rice (salt-alkali tolerant rice) breeding and seed sales, anchored by the original 'Hai Dao 86' germplasm discovered in 1986 and a portfolio of 20+ proprietary varieties including Hai Dao 1, 3, 4, 6 and 12; (2) functional consumer rice products marketed under brands such as Mi Kang Er (low-GI resistant starch rice, GI 48.9), Hai Zhikang weak-alkaline rice series, and Digital Nutritional Composite Rice for school nutrition; and (3) salt-alkali land remediation services using its proprietary Three-Micro System (microorganisms + trace elements + micro-ecology) and Indica-Japonica Bridge breeding technology. It is led by Chairman Yang Jigun and Chief Scientist Chen Risheng, with CAS Academician Xie Huaan directing the Salt-Alkali Rice Innovation Center.

The company runs 50 planting bases across 13 Chinese provinces covering approximately 500,000 mu (~33,333 hectares), with average yields of 450 kg/mu and record yields of 853.2 kg/mu achieved in Xinjiang Kashgar in 2023. It has collected 287 sea rice germplasm resources, holds 22 patents (cold-chain storage, water-fertilizer integration, smart farm management, soil conditioner production, straw processing), and publishes three enterprise standards (Q/ZNHD 005-007-2021) that have become industry benchmarks. Its technology stack combines molecular design breeding (genome+metabolome big-data analysis claiming 60% labor and 50% cycle reductions), Drought-Resistant Water-Saving Technology (30-50% water savings in arid regions), and Three-Micro Two-Control precise quantitative cultivation (average yield breakthrough of 500 kg/mu).

Revenue mechanics span B2B and consumer channels: (a) one-time seed licensing to farming cooperatives and agricultural enterprises (4 main varieties, 1.5 million kg annual seed output); (b) seed/seedling and remediation technology services to county and municipal governments and large agribusinesses (Muyuan Foods, Zhengda Group, China Gezhouba); (c) functional rice consumer packaged goods sold through retail chains (Pagoda, Rainbow, Yuanchu Foods), Shenzhen airport and 'Shenzhen Specialty' stores; and (d) institutional supply to group meal operators, anchored by a strategic partnership with Beijing Jianliyuan (China's #1 group dining operator serving ~1.5 million meals daily). Pricing is quote-based B2B for institutional buyers and standard CPG pricing for retail; no SaaS or recurring subscription model is present. Government engagement is structural, including Shenzhen Aid-to-Xinjiang procurement, State Council Consumer Poverty Alleviation Product designation, and a trilateral Ili International Bio-Valley agreement with the Yili Prefecture Government and Gezhouba Group.

Name

Zhongnong Haidao

Legal name

中农海稻（深圳）生物科技有限公司

Website

https://znhaidao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Zhongnong Haidao is a Shenzhen-based AgTech company spun out of the CAAS Agricultural Genomics Institute that breeds salt-alkali tolerant sea rice varieties, sells functional and low-GI rice products, and provides saline-alkali land remediation services to governments, agricultural enterprises, and group meal operators across 13 Chinese provinces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sea Rice Cultivation

NAICS

Rice Farming (11116), Rice Milling (311212)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Grain Mill Products (2040), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Rice Farming (AFAGAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rice & Grain Processing (milling, polishing, parboiling, blending) (AFAKABAE)

Keywords

• Sea rice breeding
• Salt-alkali land remediation
• Functional rice products
• Salt-tolerant rice varieties
• Agricultural biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Futian

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sea Rice Functional Rice Products: Sale of functional rice products including resistant starch rice (米抗儿), weak alkaline rice (海水稻弱碱米), and nutritional compound rice. Revenue from consumer packaged goods to individual and institutional buyers.
2. Group Meal Supply (团餐): Supply of functional rice to group meal operators, corporate cafeterias, and institutional dining services through partnerships with companies like Beijing Jianliyuan
3. Seed Sales: Sale of sea rice seeds (海稻6号, 海稻3号, 海稻12号, 海稻4号, etc.) to farming cooperatives and agricultural enterprises. 4 main varieties with annual seed production of 1.5 million kg.
4. Salt-alkali Land Remediation Services: Technical services for salt-alkali land remediation and ecological restoration, including technology licensing and consulting for pig farm waste treatment using HBD technology

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zhongnong Haidao (中农海稻) breeds, cultivates, and commercializes sea rice (salt-alkali tolerant rice) seeds and functional rice products, including low-GI resistant starch rice and weak-alkaline rice series. The company also provides salt-alkali land ecological remediation services that restore saline-alkali wasteland to arable farmland. It operates across 50 planting bases in 13 Chinese provinces, covering 500,000 mu of cultivation area.

Product overview

Zhongnong Haidao offers a portfolio of sea rice (salt-alkali tolerant rice) products and functional rice varieties. Core products include Mi Kang Er resistant starch rice (low GI certified), the Hai Zhikang weak alkaline rice series, and region-specific sea rice varieties such as Paxiang Shuiniao, Bohai Bay, Red Beach, and Songhua River. The company also developed digital nutritional composite rice for students. The product line centers on sea rice cultivation in saline-alkali lands across 13 provinces with 50+ planting bases. Sea rice varieties feature 'five resistances' (salt-alkali, lodging, drought, waterlogging, pests) and can grow in soil with salt content up to 12‰. The company supports its product portfolio with the National Sea Rice Ecological Grain Warehouse project aiming to restore 100 million mu of saline-alkali land.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 米抗儿: High resistant starch rice product; China's first low-GI certified rice (GI value 48.9), certified by Global Green Alliance (Beijing) as both low-GI food and healthy food.
• 帕乡水鸟
• 青小町
• 渤海湾
• 红海滩
• 松花江海水稻大米
• 数字营养复配米

Products and services

• Mi Kang Er Resistant Starch Rice (米抗儿抗性淀粉米) Low-GI resistant starch rice product positioned for diabetics, pre-diabetics, and health-conscious consumers. Features slow digestion and low glycemic response with GI value of 48.9, certified as China's first low-GI rice and Healthy Food.
• Hai Zhikang Weak Alkaline Sea Rice Series (海智康海水稻弱碱米系列) Umbrella brand for weak alkaline sea rice products with natural weak alkaline pH. Series includes Songhuajiang, Bohai Bay, Red Beach, and Paxiang Shuiniao regional varieties. Certified as Healthy Food product.
• Qing Xia Zhen Sea Rice / Songhuajiang Sea Rice (青小镇/松花江海水稻大米)

Quantifiable outcome

• GI value of 48.9 and GL value of 5.9 for 米抗儿 resistant starch rice
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 中国葛洲坝集团第三工程有限公司 (China Gezhouba Group No.3 Engineering Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 November 2023Three-party agreement signed with Yili Prefecture Government for 'Yili International Bio-Valley Construction Project'. Project focuses on biotech, seed industry, biopharmaceuticals, functional foods, high-end ingredients, and tourism wellness. Aims to build multiple billion-level industrial clusters. Gezhouba Group provides engineering and construction capabilities.
• 佛山鲲鹏现代农业研究院 (Foshan Kunpeng Modern Agriculture Research Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2023Cooperation on functional rice variety achievement transformation and project implementation. Plans to jointly build functional food bio-breeding industrial park in Foshan. Kunpeng Institute (established 2021, co-built by Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Foshan Government) provides research platform.
• 深圳援疆前方指挥部 (Shenzhen Aid-to-Xinjiang Front Command)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Government partner for Kashi Pahaterek Township sea rice project. Co-built '深喀万亩海水稻基地' (Shenzhen-Kashgar Ten Thousand Mu Sea Rice Base) as Shenzhen对口帮扶 demonstration project. Shenzhen government provides funding and policy support.
• 深圳市深汕特别合作区土地资产运营管理服务有限公司 (Shenzhen-Shanwei Special Cooperation Zone Land Asset Operation Management Service Co., Ltd.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint establishment of Shenzhen Rural Revitalization Laboratory in Shenzhen-Shanwei Special Cooperation Zone. Project aims to build rural revitalization innovation model integrating R&D center, industrial base, breeding base, digital agriculture base, and science education base.
• 北京健力源餐饮管理有限公司 (Beijing Jianliyuan Catering Management Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2021Launched 'Group Meal Health Upgrade Action' plan to create smart school meals, digital supply chain, and modern agriculture full industry chain platform. Jianliyuan (China's top-ranked group dining company, serves 400 million person-times annually, 1.5 million people daily) to supply sea rice functional rice to corporate and school cafeterias.
• 元初食品公司 (Yuanchu Foods)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 October 2021Participated in group meal health upgrade initiative as industry partner. Premium food retailer with focus on quality and health products; distributes sea rice functional products.
• 湖南桃花源农业科技股份有限公司 (Hunan Taohuayuan Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2021Cooperation to build sea rice seed industry achievement transformation platform. Aims to create first sea rice seed chip technology innovation and seed industry incubation platform. Partnership leverages Taohuayuan's seed breeding, production, and promotion integration capabilities.
• 正大集团 (Zhengda Group)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Cooperation experimental base established in Zhejiang province (Ningbo Yuyao and Cixi). Zhengda Group partnership for sea rice variety testing and regional adaptation trials.
• 江苏海稻生物科技有限公司 (Jiangsu Haidao Biotechnology Co., Ltd.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Local partner managing Jiangsu sea rice planting base in Nanjing. Responsible for local planting base management and product processing in Jiangsu region.
• 中国建筑第八工程局有限公司 (China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Co., Ltd.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 August 2020Discussions on Shenzhen International Food Valley construction and sea rice project cooperation. China Construction Eighth Bureau brings construction and transformation experience; exploring collaboration on sea rice planting resource utilization and promotion.
• 牧原食品股份有限公司 (Muyuan Foods)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Long-term strategic cooperation since 2018 for pig breeding and rice production integrated model. Collaboration on liquid fertilizer and solid waste treatment experiments. Chairman Qin Yinglin visited in May 2024 to discuss new variety development and base co-construction. Joint eco-tech innovation plan for salt-alkali land remediation.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Indigo Agriculture: US-based agricultural technology company focused on microbial seed treatments, carbon farming, and sustainability-driven agriculture. Comparable thematically as an AgTech company using proprietary biology (microbes) to improve crop performance, though operating in a different geography and crop mix.
• Quanyin Hi-Tech (荃银高科): Chinese hybrid rice and seed company with growing GMO rice and specialty crop R&D. Comparable as a smaller, R&D-driven Chinese seed player targeting similar rice farmer and institutional customers, though without Zhongnong Haidao's saline-alkali land remediation platform.
• Fengle Seed (丰乐种业): Chinese seed company with rice, corn, and vegetable seed operations and agronomic service offerings. Comparable as a Chinese seed and agricultural services company with overlapping distribution channels, but lacking salt-tolerant rice specialization.

Direct peers

• Denghai Seeds (登海种业): Major Chinese hybrid seed company with a strong corn and rice seed portfolio and breeding R&D capabilities. Comparable as a Chinese seed competitor with proprietary germplasm and breeding pipeline, but focused on hybrid corn and conventional rice rather than saline-alkali tolerant varieties.
• Longping High-Tech (隆平高科): China's leading hybrid rice seed and biotechnology company, focused on rice germplasm, hybrid breeding, and trait development. Most directly comparable to Zhongnong Haidao's rice breeding and seed business, with overlapping R&D pipelines in salt-tolerant and high-yield rice.
• Jinjian Rice Industry (金健米业): Listed Chinese rice processor and branded rice producer with deep Hunan province roots. Comparable as a directly competitive branded rice company with consumer products, supermarket distribution, and a focus on premium and specialty rice varieties.

Broad incumbents

• Suken Agribusiness (苏垦农发): State-backed Chinese rice and grain producer operating large-scale farmlands in Jiangsu. Comparable as a vertically integrated Chinese rice producer with branded consumer rice, though focused on conventional rather than salt-alkali rice.
• Beidahuang Group (北大荒集团): China's largest rice producer and a state-owned agricultural conglomerate operating vast grain acreage in Heilongjiang. Comparable as a large-scale Chinese rice producer with national distribution, but lacks Zhongnong Haidao's functional/health rice specialization and saline-alkali land focus.
• Yihai Kerry / Wilmar China (益海嘉里): China's largest rice and flour processor, operating the Arawana brand with end-to-end rice sourcing, milling, and branded consumer rice distribution. Comparable as a downstream rice processing and branded rice competitor, though much larger and broader in scope.
• Da Bei Nong (大北农): Major Chinese agricultural technology group with seed, crop protection, animal nutrition, and hog farming operations. Comparable as a Chinese AgTech incumbent with seed R&D capabilities and a similarly broad go-to-market through farmers and government channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zhongnong Haidao