Test of Chinese hybrid rice in Indonesia succeeds  

中国杂交水稻在印尼苏北试种成功

A ceremony was held Tuesday in Indonesia's North Sumatra province to celebrate the successful harvest of Chinese hybrid rice in a field test.[photo: Gu Shihong]

Medan, Indonesia (CNS) -- A ceremony was held Tuesday in Indonesia's North Sumatra province to celebrate the successful harvest of Chinese hybrid rice in a field test.

Five experienced Indonesian farmers had planted the hybrid species OPTIMA, developed by the "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping.

The local agricultural department said the rice yield reached 10.8 tons per hectare, much higher than the maximum from conventional rice, and that productivity may exceed 11 tons if they harvest 10 days later.

The deputy governor of North Sumatra said at the ceremony that the use of OPTIMA rice is expected to increase productivity as well as farmer incomes.

Li Haotong, from the Indonesian branch of Longping High-tech, China's well-regarded crop variety development firm, said OPTIMA has been planted in many countries and played an important role in easing the worldwide food crisis.