Are Hybrid Rice An Answer To The Soaring Food Prices?

The International Rice Research Institute, IRRI has suggested that hybrid rice, produced commercially by crossing different varieties to attain higher yields, could be the answer to the ongoing looming food crisis across the world.

Pioneered by China, the world's top rice producer and consumer, hybrids are bred by crossing three genetically different varieties to produce a rice plant that grows faster and produces yields of up to 20% higher. 

The Philippines-based center said it was teaming up with biotechnology firms to bolster the development of hybrids to ease pressure on rising rice prices. IRRI also said it has formed a consortium to speed up development of hybrid rice technologies and their distribution to farmers in Asia.