(ECNS) — China is expanding hybrid rice research and seed production overseas to improve yields and support local cultivation, as part of efforts to promote the crop worldwide.
In 2012, Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice,” stressed the need to develop high-yield seed production technology after visiting India, recalled Deng Huafeng, head of the team at the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center.
Since Yuan's death in 2021, the team has continued to improve the technology, achieving stable high yields across different regions and climates.
In 2024, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology approved a China-Madagascar Joint Laboratory for Hybrid Rice. Hybrid varieties selected and cultivated there now yield an average of 7.5 metric tons per hectare, about 2.7 times the yield of local conventional varieties, researcher Shu Fu said.
China promotes the crop through seed exports, local seed production, overseas research centers and technical training, with Madagascar serving as a base for wider cooperation in Africa and other partner countries.
More than 70 countries now research or grow hybrid rice, covering nearly 8 million hectares overseas.
The Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center and Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co. Ltd. have also established a training institute for overseas agricultural technicians, while Hunan Agricultural University launched a “Longping Class” this year to train future researchers.
(By Helen Mo & intern Liu Shuangjing)
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