NONGKEYU fresh-corn showcase at WAFI 2026 Seed Wonder Night

Cover: Opening ceremony of the 2026 World AgriFood Innovation Conference; group photo of Chinese and international guests

Author | Beijing Huaao NONGKEYU

On 17 September, under the theme “Green and Healthy Transformation of Agri-Food Systems,” the 2026 World AgriFood Innovation Conference (WAFI) opened grandly in Pinggu, Beijing. Ren Youqun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Minister of Education, and Zhang Zhili, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, delivered successive remarks; Beijing Vice Mayor Wen Xian gave the opening address. In the innovation-release segment, Pinggu Party Secretary Di Tao released the Pinggu Plan for agri-food integration and agri-medicine linkage toward a green, healthy agri-food system, setting a new coordinate for Agricultural Zhongguancun.

On the eve of the conference—the evening of 16 September—as a highlight of WAFI’s “Seed Wonder Night” series, “Just Met You” NONGKEYU Fresh-Corn Industry Showcase was successfully held at Agricultural Zhongguancun Store Zero in Pinggu, Beijing.

01 Seed Wonder Night: fresh corn breaks the circle

Hosted by NONGKEYU Group, the showcase brought together fresh-corn scientists, entrepreneurs and industry representatives. Through scientist keynotes, new-product launches, the debut of the “Corn Xishi” IP, an industry consensus release, strategic signing, and interactive experiences such as a corn-eating contest and sweet-waxy kernel sorting, it presented Pinggu fresh corn’s full picture from seed innovation to industry extension.

At the “Golden Ears Lift the Lid · Harvest Moment” unveiling, a cauldron about one metre across was slowly opened; the sweet aroma of elite varieties such as Nongke Nuo 336 and Jingzi Nuo 519 filled the room—letting research results meet taste in the simplest way.

Figure 1: Showcase venue—the stage screen lights up the “Pinggu Consensus on High-Anthocyanin Corn Industry Innovation & Development Action”

That evening, the “Pinggu Consensus on High-Anthocyanin Corn Industry Innovation & Development Action” was formally released, writing a Pinggu Consensus for seed innovation and industry collaboration in high-anthocyanin corn.

Figure 2: Formal release of the Pinggu Consensus on High-Anthocyanin Corn Industry Innovation & Development Action (Photo courtesy of Pinggu District Publicity Department)

02 A five-year pact: China Fresh Corn Industry Innovation Alliance and NONGKEYU sign strategic cooperation

A strategic cooperation signing ceremony was also held at the showcase.The China Fresh Corn Industry Innovation Alliance and NONGKEYU signed a five-year strategic cooperation plan. The two sides will deepen cooperation in fresh-corn seed innovation, full value-chain building, brand cultivation and market expansion, co-build an industry collaboration ecosystem, and jointly advance high-quality development of China’s fresh-corn industry.

Figure 3: Five-year strategic cooperation signing between the China Fresh Corn Industry Innovation Alliance and NONGKEYU (Source: Pinggu Media, WAFI 2026 Seed Wonder Night Corn Special)

03 Chairman Lai Bailin’s address: answering the conference’s new agenda with a seed “China chip”

At the showcase, NONGKEYU founder and Chairman Lai Bailin took the stage. He said WAFI 2026, themed on green and healthy agri-food transformation, offers an important platform for global agri-food innovation exchange; as a seed company rooted in Pinggu’s Agricultural Zhongguancun, NONGKEYU will use the conference as a springboard to deepen fresh-corn seed innovation, serve national food security with a seed “China chip,” move fresh corn from field to table and from variety to brand, and contribute enterprise strength to Pinggu’s practice of agri-food integration and agri-medicine linkage.

NONGKEYU co-founder and Vice Chairman Jiang Xiaohui also attended and explained that “Corn Xishi” is a nickname given by consumers during livestreams—hoping this distinctly Chinese IP will showcase the strength of China’s fresh-corn seed “chip” and full value chain.

04 Experts gather: a corn rendezvous across borders

During the conference, NONGKEYU engaged deeply with agri experts at home and abroad. Chairman Lai Bailin joined Xia Jingyuan, Senior Adviser to the FAO Director-General; Cheng Xiangwen, Honorary President of Hebi Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Academician Jia Yinsuo of the African Academy of Sciences; and Zhang Hengwei, Chairman of Zhongke Future Tech Group at the high-anthocyanin corn science & industry alliance meeting to discuss breeding innovation and alliance building for high-quality development of China’s fresh-corn industry.

Figure 4: Chairman Lai Bailin with Xia Jingyuan, Senior Adviser to the FAO Director-General; Cheng Xiangwen, Honorary President of Hebi Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Academician Jia Yinsuo of the African Academy of Sciences; and Zhang Hengwei, Chairman of Zhongke Future Tech Group

05 Research rooted in the field: good varieties first “run the data” in real plots

Behind the showcase is Pinggu’s continued layout in seed innovation and a full industry–academia–research–application chain. In Beitaitou Village, Pinggu Town, the fresh-corn “PhD Farm” built with the Corn Research Institute of the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences has, since 2022, introduced elite varieties such as Nongke Nuo 336 and Jingzi Nuo 519. Research teams provide end-to-end support—from planting density and green pest control to harvest timing and cold-chain storage.

Whether a variety can be promoted must first stand the test in the field. The PhD Farm puts lab varieties into real soil and climate to “run the data”—a vivid footnote to Agricultural Zhongguancun’s upgrade from 1.0 to 2.0.

06 Extending the processing chain: from “boil and eat” to a full product range

The showcase launched deep-processed new products such as corn germ powder, corn dumpling flour and spicy fresh-corn noodles—marking fresh corn’s leap from field to table: from a single boiling scene to drinks, staples, snacks and more, extending the chain further downstream.

Figure 5: NONGKEYU deep-processed new-product booth (Source: event site)

The highly personal “Corn Xishi” IP formally debuted. From research plots to livestream rooms, from variety codes to a personified brand, the industry narrative of fresh corn is being rewritten.

Figure 6: Seed Wonder Night interaction—citizens share autumn sweet-waxy corn (Source: event site)

07 Riding the conference wave: Pinggu’s opportunity in agri-food integration and agri-medicine linkage

Today, agri-food integration and agri-medicine linkage are becoming new growth points for Agricultural Zhongguancun. The Modern Food Nutrition Valley already hosts 52 quality enterprises including Want Want, CP, New Hope, Zixingyuan, Pulmuone and Yuanmai Shanqiu. Pinggu will further promote two-way matching between enterprises and PhD farms, research institutes and pilot platforms, and jointly pursue R&D, standards and branding around local specialties such as peaches and fresh corn—so more research results convert nearby and quality farm goods gain local value.

WAFI has landed in Pinggu for four consecutive years, attracting thousands of experts and market players from nearly 100 countries and regions and nearly 100 industry–academia–research projects. As a seed force from Pinggu, NONGKEYU is growing in sync with Agricultural Zhongguancun, turning the conference effect—“one meeting, a pool of wisdom, a circle of friends, a batch of projects”—into vivid practice of a “China seed chip” and a new industry highland, so more research results move from lab to field.

Sources | People.cn Beijing Channel “Beijing Pinggu Holds Fresh-Corn Industry Promotion”; Beijing Municipal Government Portal “WAFI 2026 Opens in Pinggu, Beijing”; Sciencenet “2026 World AgriFood Innovation Conference Held in Pinggu, Beijing” |