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Dr Laila Al- Bahri, Al Satwa (2025)

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🌾 China just turned salty wastelands into rice fields that could feed 80 million people!

China has set a new benchmark in its ambitious seawater rice program, doubling yields in just three years and reinforcing hopes for large-scale food security.

Seawater rice, a salt-tolerant hybrid crop, is now yielding nearly 700 kg per 0.67 hectares—even when grown in brackish or otherwise barren soil. Spearheaded by the Qingdao research center, the effort uses advanced gene sequencing, hybrid breeding, and even space-based seed experiments to boost plant resilience. Researchers aim to plant nearly 7 million hectares of this rice within a decade, which could feed up to 80 million people without expanding into forests or grasslands.

Beyond boosting food output, seawater rice could revolutionize land use by transforming vast tracts of previously unusable saline soil into productive farmland. Its roots not only extract vital nutrients but also improve soil structure and promote beneficial microbial activity. Despite early doubts about taste, consumers have embraced the rice, with domestic demand growing through e-commerce. International interest is also rising, with collaborative projects underway in the UAE and beyond. The program honors the vision of Yuan Longping, the late "father of hybrid rice," by turning inhospitable lands into fertile ground for both crops and food security.

source
South China Morning Post. (October 14). Another record for China’s seawater rice with doubled yield in 3 years.