BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Louis Dreyfus Commodities (LDC), a major agricultural products transnational, has launched a scholarship at the China Agriculture University (CAU) for college students with originality and leadership qualities in agricultural sector.

At a ceremony held on Tuesday by LDC and CAU, 10 students were awarded the Innovative Talent Scholarship of 10,000 yuan (around 1,538 U.S. dollars) each, for their performance in their studies and also for their outstanding thesis in the agricultural sector, which were specially submitted as part of the scholarship.

According to Teh-han Chow, CEO of the Louis Dreyfus Commodities (Beijing) Trading Co. Ltd., the scholarship's application process was initiated in October 2011 and attracted nearly 300 entries.

"This is the first time that we've applied for a scholarship with an academic paper," said Gao Qian, a student studying for a bachelor degree at the department of food science and nutrition engineering of CAU.

In their papers, some students focused on ensuring China's food safety by maintaining the domestic supply of corn, and some discussed how to help farmers use fertilizer scientifically.

"Many of the topics and visions are innovative and inspiring, contributing to the global solution of agriculture development," said Chow.

"We are looking forward to broaden cooperation with schools in China to help cultivate Chinese talent," he added.