Uganda starts planting new rice varieties that could double yields

Farmers in Uganda have begun planting a promising new hybrid rice variety. As The Daily Monitor reported on Wednesday, breeders expect it to nearly double yields, as well as increased drought tolerance and water savings. Variety WDR-73 was bred by Ugandan specialists in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and China. "Earlier in Uganda, experiments to grow WDR-73 were successfully carried out in the areas of Lukaye, Luwiro and Arua," the newspaper quotes FAO representative Charles Ovac. per hectare. In his opinion, the new variety of rice can play an important role in ensuring the country's food security. Variety WDR-73 was developed by scientists of the Ugandan National Research Organization in the field of agriculture, together with the FAO and the ...