China's hybrid rice expert Yuan Longping

China’s hybrid rice expert Yuan Longping and his research team succeeded in cultivating long-grain hybrid rice in the 1970s, which has increased the rice output by a large margin and made a great contribution to the achievement of food security. China’s hybrid rice has since been introduced into more than 30 countries and regions.

The photo shows Yuan Longping, acclaimed as Father of Hybrid Rice in the international agricultural community, checking the growth of rice during a trial conducted in Hekou Town, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, September 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)