IRRI boosts rice output

IRRI boosts rice output

MANILA (AFP): The declining productivity of Asia's intensively irrigated rice fields could be reversed by using new nutrient management techniques, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said Wednesday.

IRRI said its "site-specific integrated, nutrient management approach", applied in 207 farms in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, had increased rice yields in many of the areas.

In the first year, yields rose from an average 5.17 tons per hectare to 5.74 tons, with about 25 percent of the farms enjoying yields of six tons per hectare, the Philippine-based institute said in a statement.

In the second year, at least 40 percent of the farms were posting yields of six tons per hectare despite the effects of the El Nio weather phenomenon.