This paper analyses the extent to which farmers in northern China actually benefit from market development for biotech cultivars and seeds, and how they interact with that development. It firstly appraises similarities and discrepancies observed in this development in China when compared to India, for which the experience has been more widely reported to the international community. It then examines the data obtained in Hebei Province. The results reveal strong competition with a large number of cultivars, including a substantial share of illegal cultivars, and, paradoxically, show high seed prices. In return, this competition is heightened by growers' strategies for adapting to uncertainty when buying seeds. The future of commercial seeds and the use of biotech cultivars are at stake. Competition without some form of control and regulation could be detrimental to both growers and operators in the cultivar and seed sector and could jeopardise investment in breeding and biotechnology.