Chinese hybrid rice yield hits record: official

　　BEIJING, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- A team led by Yuan Longping, known in China as "the father of hybrid rice," has achieved a record for hybrid rice production with an average yield of 1,026.7 kilograms per mu (0.0667 hectare), an official with the Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday.

　　The new record was reached at a farm in Xupu County in central China's Hunan Province and was confirmed by experts organized by the ministry, Tang Ke, director of the ministry's department of science, technology and education, said at a press conference.

　　Yuan Longping, an academic from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, developed the world's first hybrid rice in 1974.

　　China in recent years has made a slew of important breakthroughs in agricultural products and production technology and laid a solid foundation for the grain harvest increase for 10 years in a row, Tang said.

　　The new record surpassed the 1,000 kg-per-mu target set by the ministry in 2013 after the yield of hybrid rice was raised to 963.65 kg per mu in 2012. It also beat a record of an average yield of 1,004.5 kg per mu set earlier this month in Longshan County, Hunan Province.

　　China, the world's most heavily farmed country, faces problems including limited land and water resources, and rising pollution, making food security a major concern. About 65 percent of Chinese depend on rice as a staple food.