Originally published in China Investment, January 2026. The text below is adapted from the PDF text layout.
A lonely breakthrough for the seed industry’s Chinese core
The article argues that in an era of pig-cycle volatility and long-standing dominance by international genetics oligopolies, China’s swine industry faces a fundamental question: how to escape the repeating loop of import, degradation and re-import. At stake is not just efficiency, but true genetic and supply security.
Best Genetics Group is presented as an atypical case. With what the article describes as the determination to sharpen one sword over ten years, Monita Mo refused quick money and easy shortcuts, instead committing substantial resources to nucleus-herd selection, biosecurity systems and digital infrastructure.
From dependence on foreign genetics to local reconstruction
The article notes that when Best Genetics first entered the sector, it saw deep domestic dependence on European and North American breeding systems. Many companies relied on imported breeding pigs to maintain performance, yet the key levers that determined the direction of genetic progress remained outside China.
Based on that judgement, Best Genetics built a high-standard nucleus breeding farm in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, developed a selection system around China’s production conditions and consumer demand, and bred the Meng line of white pigs with fully proprietary intellectual property.
Advancing on multiple fronts: white pigs, black pigs and disease resistance
The report divides Best Genetics’ breeding exploration into several tracks. White-pig breeding focuses on productivity, feed efficiency, growth speed and ease of management. Black-pig breeding seeks to preserve the flavour strengths of Chinese native pigs while improving growth cycle and feed conversion through molecular breeding and whole-genome selection.
On disease resistance, the article notes that Best Genetics has already carried out causal-site screening, cell-line construction and gene-editing planning around major threats such as PRRS, African swine fever and epidemic diarrhoea.
Digital infrastructure and data sovereignty
The article stresses that the true foundation of modern breeding competition is not a single device, but control over data assets and algorithmic capability. Best Genetics moved early to build paperless management and electronic ear-tag systems at its nucleus farms, creating a digital identity for every pig.
According to the report, the deeper meaning of this capability is that it allows the company to move from using foreign algorithms to evaluate Chinese pigs toward using its own algorithms to evaluate its own pigs. In that sense, data sovereignty becomes the lifeline of proprietary breeding.
