It has already enabled the establishment of a seed bank containing 1.1 million varieties that opened in Svalbard, Norway, in 2008.

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The seed bank at Kew, the largest of its kind in the world, currently stores 11% (around 31, 000 specimens) of the world's plant species.

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Chongqing Holley, a sister company of Kunming's, has set up a research laboratory in Hunan to help it identify high-yielding plants and establish a seed bank.

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Last year, for example, Invesco PowerShares called Browne to seed a bank loan fund.

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Agencies like the World Bank or the U.S. Agency for International Development typically provide seed capital for microlenders.

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