World Bank approves loan to support sustainable rice production in central China

A farmer drives a transplanter to transplant rice seedlings in farmland in Yijianhe Village of Yuhu District, Xiangtan City, central China's Hunan Province, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved a loan of 255 million U.S. dollars to support a program that will reduce methane emissions and improve irrigation and drainage services in rice production in central China's Hunan Province, the bank's Beijing office said Thursday.

The program will contribute to boosting climate resilience in rural areas and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in grain production, according to the bank.

The program, with a total investment of 1.24 billion dollars financed by the World Bank loan and Chinese government funds, will spend five years developing a sustainable rice production model and creating replicable and scalable knowledge and experiences for China and other rice-growing countries.

Mara Warwick, World Bank Country Director for China, Mongolia, and Korea, said the program will provide innovative solutions to promote climate mitigation in China's agriculture sector.