Innovative approaches help to grow rice yields

In Hunan province, a major rice-producing area in China, efforts have been made to increase rice yields by introducing new and innovative agricultural techniques.

At the demonstration area in Chunhua township in Changsha, the provincial capital, small parcels of farmland have been combined to create a larger rice field, where new rice varieties and irrigation systems have been introduced in order to produce stable crop yields.

Last month, the average yield of early rice in the area reached 9.35 metric tons per hectare, which greatly relieved grower Long Weiyi.

"Grain production is expected to see its largest increase in years and it will bring me a higher income," said Long, who has 20 hectares of rice fields in the area that earned him more than 200,000 yuan ($29,178) last year.

"The farmland in the demonstration area is more suitable for agricultural machinery. With more subsidies from the local government and more machinery, yields will keep improving," he said.

Xia Liming, an official at the department of agriculture and rural affairs in Changsha, said improved seed varieties and farmland management have been applied in the area resulting in better pest prevention and fertilization.

The Asiatic rice borer, which is a type of moth, and rice blast, a disease that causes fungus, are the two biggest threats faced by rice growers as they can cause a total harvest failure.

To control Asiatic rice borers, traps in the shape of white lampshades have been dotted around the rice fields, with pheromones inside to lure them. On a hot morning earlier this month, about 20 moths could be seen in one of the traps.

"This year, we haven't encountered rice blast, and the Asiatic rice borer was controlled well," Long said.

Local authorities plan to achieve full mechanization and the environmentally friendly prevention of pests in the demonstration area.

"The usage of pesticides and fertilizers is expected to decline by 10 percent, while yields should increase by more than 10 percent," Xia said.

"Solving China's food challenges also contributes to global food security. We should promote agricultural techniques to increase production to benefit more farmers," he added.

With Hunan province being famous for its spicy dishes, growing chile peppers is another major business in the township.

Peppera Seed, a chile pepper seed company in Chunhua, has developed more than 200 new varieties since it was established in 1988 and has cooperated with enterprises in 10 countries and regions to promote the seeds worldwide.

"Customers have various demands for their chiles in terms of color, type and spiciness. We sell seeds nationwide and export to other countries, such as Japan," said He Jiuchun, president of the company.

Among the different chile varieties grown in the company's fields is an orange kind called xingyue.

"We have promoted the variety for three years and mainly sell it to Hunan and Guizhou provinces for them to make chile powder and sauce," He said.

Zeng Canqiang, Party secretary of Jiumu village in Chunhua, said the company's integrated chile pepper business has increased local villagers' incomes.

"Villagers used to grow their chiles on family farms, but the varieties did not perform well enough to make large profits, and this affected their willingness to invest in the business," Zeng said.

With the high-quality varieties developed by the company, farmers can sell high-yield chiles while the company promotes its seeds, he added.