On August 10, the Oil Crops Research Institute (OCRI), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), hosted the 2026 International Symposium on Sesame Breeding and Nutrition Research in Wuhan. Experts and scholars from Japan, Türkiye, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other countries attended the symposium. Deng Qianchun, Deputy Director General of OCRI, attended the event.

At the symposium, Hiroaki Oda, a nutritionist from Nagoya University in Japan; Bülent Uzun, a molecular breeding expert from Akdeniz University in Türkiye; Micheale Yifter WELDEMICHAEL from the Tigrai Biotechnology Institute in Ethiopia; and Makin Tasi’u Ya'u from Federal University Dutse in Nigeria, among others, delivered presentations on topics including mechanized breeding of sesame, research advances in sesame and other oil crops in Ethiopia and Nigeria, and dietary nutrition management. Participants also exchanged views on high-yielding, high-quality, and nutrition-oriented sesame breeding and discussed priorities for future collaboration.

In recent years, OCRI has continuously strengthened international cooperation and established multiple collaborative platforms, including the China-Africa-Ethiopia Joint Laboratory for Sesame Research. Significant progress has been made in China-Africa joint breeding of sesame, with some research outcomes beginning to be applied overseas.