Hybrid Rice May Stamp Out Starvation

BEIJINGSpeaking at the 21st Century Forum, agriculture scientist and inventor of hybrid rice Yuan Longping said he hopes to create a new version of hybrid rice that will yield about 15 tons of rice per hectare within the next 10 years. He noted the new hybrid rice would be able to eradicate world hunger and ensure food security worldwide.

"First, I wish that by 2012, my team and I can complete the Phase-III super hybrid rice, which is expected to yield 13.5 tons of rice per hectare. I hope I can live another 10 years until 2020. By then the yield will be improved to 15 tons per hectare," Yuan said at the 21st Century Forum in Beijing.

As reported by China Daily, hybrid rice in China has helped increase rice output and allowed 20 percent of the world's population to feed itself with just 7 percent of world's farmland. The second-generation super hybrid, which was released commercially in 2006, can yield 9 tons of rice per hectare on average.

About 29 million hectares of rice are planted every year in China, with an average output capacity of 6.3 tons per hectare. Hybrid rice accounts for about 57 percent of the total acreage, with an average output capacity of 7.2 tons per hectare.