Yuan Longping (File photo)

Trial planting of China’s japonica hybrid rice, which was developed by the “father of hybrid rice” Yuan Longping and his team, has achieved success in Cambodia, China News reported on Nov. 28.

The success marks a new era for large-scale planting of China’s japonica hybrid rice in a tropical area beyond China, said Qi Shaowu, director of the China National Hybrid Rice R&D Center.

Four varieties of the rice have been adapted to local conditions after five years of trial planting in two provinces of Cambodia, Huang Ming’an, the project executor noted.

Huang added that the yield of the rice is nearly 8 tons per hectare, which will greatly increase local farmers’ incomes, as Cambodia is an agricultural country, with an estimated 80 percent of its people either directly or indirectly involved in agricultural activities.

At present, the project has been approved by the government of Cambodia, and 200,000 hectares of land in the country will be planted with the rice as planned.