On May 23, the International Symposium on China-Africa Cooperation in Hybrid Rice and Food Security, and the Academic Committee Meeting of the China-Madagascar Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Hybrid Rice, were held in Changsha. Over 120 Chinese and foreign guests from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the African Academy of Sciences, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations engaged in in-depth exchanges on core topics including the role of hybrid rice technology in promoting food security in Africa and also the construction of the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory, jointly exploring cooperation in agricultural science and technology and food security between China and Africa.

China and Madagascar have together established a Belt and Road Joint Laboratory in the field of hybrid rice, where China takes the lead in enhancing Madagascar's local scientific research capabilities, facilitating a shift from a "blood transfusion" to a "blood production" model. Currently, the joint laboratory is helping Madagascar establish an independent scientific research system for hybrid rice through measures such as instrument donations, personnel exchanges, and joint research and development.

"The Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Hybrid Rice was approved for construction by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2024 and has completed its initial construction in Madagascar. We are helping hybrid rice technology take root in Madagascar by establishing trial demonstration bases and cultivating local talent," said Song Chunfang, deputy director of the China-Madagascar Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Hybrid Rice.

From "blood transfusion" to "blood production," seeds from Hunan are accelerating their  flowering and fruition across Madagascar and the African continent, yielding bountiful results.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday