China to help Pakistan in achieving "Food Security"
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CHANGSHA, China: Prof Yuan Longping, globally known as ‘Father of the Hybrid Rice’, has claimed to have developed Super-Hi Hybrid Rice seed, having more than double the yield potential of the paddy varieties currently under cultivation around the world.
“We have recently developed a very successful Super-Hi Hybrid Rice variety with a yield potential of 18 tons per hectare,” said Longping in a rare conversation with the visiting Pakistani journalists.
“This latest tier variety can help Pakistan in increasing rice yield very significantly and China will be happy to share newly developed very high-yielding rice variety with its friendly neighbor.”
The typical production of presently sown hybrid rice in China and Pakistan is around 7-8 tons per hectares. The Chinese expert observed that down the line, China wanted to help Pakistan in developing latest super-hi hybrid variety of rice for cultivation in local conditions.
“I think this new variety is the toughest ever in commercial large scale trials in terms of yield and this development and sharing its benefits have been a part of my lifelong wishes,” said he pointing to a rice plant sown in a pot in a corner of his room for demonstration purpose.
Prof Longping, 86, is a simple-looking man who’s pioneering research has ended famine and hunger from the world most populous country and other regions. Known as one of the world’s outstanding scientists in agricultural science, he worked hard for combating food shortages and hunger through his successful development of high-yielding rice varieties.
The United Nations (UN) Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the UN World Intellectual Property Organization, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as academic and non-governmental institutions in the US, Japan, Great Britain and other countries, conferred on him nine honorary titles and prizes.
He received the 2004 World Food Prize for his breakthrough achievement in developing the genetic materials and technologies essential for breeding high-yielding hybrid rice varieties.
He continues his innovative scientific work as Director-General of the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center in Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
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