Production of rice in the country will soon receive a major boost.

This follows technical support that will be provided by hybrid rice experts from China.

The Agriculture Ministry and China’s Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Company Limited held discussions on this recent development in Nadi this week.

It is part of Fiji and China’s developed cooperation to support the improvement of the Fiji rice revitalization program.

Minister for Agriculture Dr. Mahendra Reddy says the series of meetings mapped new deliverable objectives for the development of a new hybrid rice variety.

He says ways to boost production from its current low progress over the past 2 years towards a self-sufficient rice Fiji were also agreed upon.

Dr. Reddy says they want local expertise in developing hybrid rice and they’ve agreed to send four of their staff to the Research Centre in China for a period of three months

Due to the low germination percentage and sterility of harvested hybrid rice when harvested by farmers directly, the Ministry research stations will develop seeds for farmers and distribute them for commercial use.

The Chinese delegates visited rice farmers in the Western Division, Koronivia Research Station and will be in the North to visit the rice development project currently being undertaken in the Dreketi irrigated areas.