Madagascar's President Andry Nirina Rajoelina said that the introduction of Chinese-developed hybrid rice, offering a significantly higher yield per cultivated area, has given Madagascar hope of achieving food self-sufficiency.
Rajoelina made the remarks during a recently aired interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing after attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September.
As early as 2007, the team of Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice", introduced hybrid rice to Madagascar and the Hybrid Rice Demonstration Center project was launched in Madagascar.
In 2010, Chinese rice experts successfully grew three hybrid rice varieties capable of achieving high yields in the island country's local low-, medium- and high-altitude areas, resulting in more than three times the amount of local rice generated per hectare. The strands were soon promoted by Madagascar's Ministry of Agriculture for planting across the country.
During his recent visit to Hunan Province in central China, President Rajoelina visited the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center and the Longping Rice Museum in Changsha City in tours that he said provided him with fresh ideas for the forthcoming collaboration in agricultural cooperation between the two nations.
"The journey to Changsha left a deep impression on me and I learned about Chinese history. I realized that China has rich experience and advanced technology, and its research achievements can bring substantial changes to Madagascar through agricultural transformation. As widely known, Madagascar ranks third in rice production in Africa, following Nigeria and Egypt. Our goal is to become the 'granary of Africa.' This is why I am delighted about this trip to China, as Madagascar has been experimenting with cultivating Chinese-developed hybrid rice, an achievement of many years of research. Thanks to that, rice production in Madagascar can quadruple. This fully demonstrates the feasibility of cultivating this hybrid rice, which is expected to completely transform the lives of farmers and even our country," he said.
So far, the planting area of Chinese hybrid rice in Madagascar has exceeded 75,000 hectares. The 20,000-ariary bank note, the largest denomination in the country, carries the pattern of Chinese hybrid rice.
"Looking at the banknote in your hands, I am full of emotion. In Fact, this is Madagascar's largest banknote, the 20,000 ariary denomination. The pattern of Chinese hybrid rice on it highlights the importance of rice to Malagasy people as it is our staple food. We rely on rice for all three meals a day, illustrating its crucial importance to our country. In the 1980s, Madagascar was once known as the 'granary of Africa,' exporting rice to neighboring countries. However, our agricultural techniques stagnated, and the cultivation area did not expand thereafter. Currently, we have 1.9 million hectares of arable land, but there are still 36 million hectares of land suitable for planting rice. Our goal is to transform the country via developing rice cultivation. Therefore, with China's assistance, Africa can safeguard lives, feed its people, reclaim its status as a granary. With utilizing Chinese knowledge, technologies, mechanization, and high-quality seeds, it can provide food for the world," said the Madagascar president.
In June 2023, a bowl of hybrid rice from Africa appeared as a special offering at the tomb of Yuan Longping. The gift was brought in person by Rakotoson Philibert, former Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture of Madagascar.
The hybrid rice developed by Yuan and his team has gradually taken root and blossomed in the East African island nation, bearing full rice ears and helping to eradicate hunger.
"I am deeply moved. When faced with Mr. Yuan's research results, I, as the current President of Madagascar, once said that feeding the people is of utmost importance, saving the nation is an obligation, and rescuing the African continent and even the world is equally urgent. We are fighting against famine every day. When we can feed the entire nation, the entire continent, we can save the world. That is why we are not only committed to food security but also to the industrialization of every country. Both areas are fields of cooperation promoted by President Xi Jinping. I firmly believe that Madagascar will thrive. We will achieve growth through the primary task of agricultural transformation. Then, we must industrialize the country. All these inspire me to keep moving forward. China is serving as an example to encourage many national leaders like me," Rajoelina said.
Chinese hybrid rice helps Madagascar restore status as 'granary of Africa': president
"AI Plus" became a central topic of heated discussion among members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) during the ongoing "two sessions," with members actively offering suggestions from breakthroughs in fundamental technologies to the implementation of industrial applications.
The "two sessions" are the annual meetings of China's supreme organ of state power, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Both bodies serve five-year terms and hold a plenary session each year.
The fourth session of the 14th NPC and the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee kicked off in Beijing on March 5 and March 4, respectively.
The government work report delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang on March 5 included the terms "new forms of smart economy" and "AI agents" for the first time, marking the third consecutive year that the government has prioritized the "AI Plus" initiative.
The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), submitted for deliberation at the two sessions, also systematically outlines plans for the innovative development of AI and its application across all sectors.
At a group discussion of the 14th CPPCC National Committee members, the core agenda was the deliberation of the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Several members shared their thoughts and insights in their speeches, focusing on the long-term development of the artificial intelligence sector.
Gao Jiangang mentioned what ultimately drives AI, sparking a discussion among other members.
"Some people say that AI ends in energy," said Gao.
"I'd like to echo what member Gao just mentioned, but I want to emphasize that the idea that AI ends in energy is based on current models and existing pathway. Is that pathway the optimal one? Actually, there must be other paths," said Chen Xianhui, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"The competition in AI hinges on architecture, and it ultimately comes down to chip architecture. So, AI ultimately comes down to the chip," said Zhu Songchun, head of the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence.
The debate over what truly represents the ultimate goal of AI development, though generating lively discussion among the members, ultimately pointed to a core challenge for the industry's long-term progress: How to break free from existing technological path dependence and accelerate the achievement of original and leading scientific and technological breakthroughs in the field of artificial intelligence.
"I suggest, or rather hope, that while the country vigorously promotes current AI technologies, it should also provide strong support for our nation's capable research institutions to break away from the current path dependence," said Gao Jiangang.
"Within this draft outline, I think what should be underscored are original innovation, scientific and technological innovation, and industrial innovation," said Chen Xianhui.
"In the process of supporting the development of emerging technologies, it (the draft outline）also specifically mentions exploring future strategies for emerging technologies, to reinforce AI research. So we can see that in the 15th Five-Year Plan, our country strengthens support for emerging industries and reinforces support for empowering all sectors with AI," said Zhao Xiaoguang, a researcher at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
During the meeting, members actively offered suggestions on the top-level design and strategic planning for AI development. And out of the meeting, their discussions focused more on how to effectively implement policies and how to bring AI out of the laboratory to achieve deep integration with the real economy and the needs of people's livelihoods.
"You see, recently I've been using AI for programming. I use my wits against two AI agents every day, collaborating with them to create a new product. What I've discovered is, it's the best programmer I've ever worked with. It's smarter than me. Within two or three years, I estimate many companies will have silicon-based teams and carbon-based employees — hybrid teams composed of us humans and AI agents," said Zhou Hongyi, founder of Qihoo 360.
"Currently, in the field of original intelligence, our country is already world-leading in some industries, and our demonstration projects in promoting applications are also doing well. For example, autonomous driving, and the digital humans we are now experiencing, who are making various product introductions in shopping malls, helping to continuously boost our consumption in the consumer sector. So, the application of such digital humans will also create a new model within consumer scenarios," said Zhao Xiaoguang.
"For example, embodied intelligence has already performed remarkably well in areas like combat, performance, and competition. But I believe its applications extend far beyond these. It can also be used in fields like manufacturing, service industries, and agriculture. There are many application scenarios, and this can cultivate many new business formats, new drivers of growth, and new economic opportunities," said Chen Xiaohong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and director of the Xiangjiang Laboratory.
CPPCC members discuss AI development, picture new future for intelligent economy
