The super rice promotion project established by China has been included in the Central Government's "No.1 document" this year. How would this help enhance China's comprehensive agriculture production capacity?

Yuan Longping, an academician from the Chinese National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center, recently said the promotional planting of China's super rice over large areas was expected by 2006. He gave some numbers to illustrate the benefits of this project: grain output would be increased by 30 billion kilograms annually, enough to feed another 70 million people, if the super hybrid rice could be planted over 200 million mu (about 32,948,929 acres) and assuming output per mu increased by 50 kilograms.

In 1997, Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", set his eyes on the research of the super rice. Guided by his theory and technical instructions, China is now leading the world in the process of super rice selection and breeding. In 2004, China's 11 100-Mu fields achieved an average output of 800 kilograms per Mu (one Mu equals 0.165 acre). Output of three 100-Mu fields have exceeded 800 kilograms per Mu for 2 consecutive years. The second phase objective of reaching 800 kilograms output per Mu over large areas for China's super rice project had been realized last year, one year ahead of schedule.

Yuan Longping revealed that the super rice would go through variety examination and approval later this year before mass planting is carried out. He also said that the third phase plan of China's super rice project had fully started this year, one year ahead of schedule. The plan will increase output to 900 kilograms per Mu and will be using predominantly molecular plant breeding technology.