Hangyou 73 hybrid rice reaches 9.5 tonnes per hectare in Burkina Faso
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Burkina 24
The Chinese Agricultural Technical Mission presented a mechanised harvest of hybrid rice in Boulbi, on a two-hectare demonstration plot within a 75-hectare plain. The Hangyou 73 variety, approved by the Burkinabe government, can yield 9 to 9.5 tonnes per hectare, reports Burkina 24.
The Hangyou 73 hybrid rice variety achieved a potential yield of 9 to 9.5 tonnes per hectare during a mechanised harvest organised on Tuesday 27 October on the Boulbi rice plain in Kadiogo province, according to Burkina 24. The varieties usually grown on the site produce between 6 and 7 tonnes per hectare.
The trial was conducted on a two-hectare demonstration plot within a 75-hectare area farmed by 345 cooperative producers. The Chinese Agricultural Technical Mission, which is working there for the second year, tested more than 20 varieties; three were approved by the Burkinabe government. The Hangyou 73 cycle lasts 123 to 128 days. According to mission head Hu Yuzhou, the variety also stands out for the quality and purity of its rice.
The farmers concerned receive certified seeds, fertiliser, irrigation equipment and crop-protection devices. The combine harvester presented during the demonstration is intended to help mechanise the work and reduce the burden of harvesting. Burkina Faso is also working to develop rice varieties through nuclear technology.
