Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday joined the international community in mourning the death of Chinese scientist Yuan Longping who is also known worldwide as the “Father of Hybrid Rice”.
“The Asian world shares China’s grief,” Locsin said in a tweet, three days after Yuan died of organ failure at the age of 91.
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based in Los Baños, Laguna credited Yuan for his work that jumpstarted the large-scale production of hybrid rice and has been vital to the development of modern hybrid varieties.
“Today we remember and honor Prof. Yuan Longping, Father of Hybrid Rice and a stalwart pillar of rice science. His work jumpstarted the large-scale production of hybrid,” the IRRI said in a tweet.
In expressing its sympathy, the United Nations described the highly respected Chinese scientist as a “true food hero” whose agricultural contribution has helped feed the world.
“Today, we mourn the passing of a true food hero. Chinese scientist Yuan Longping saved millions of people from hunger by developing the first hybrid rice strains. He passed away today at 91 but his legacy and his mission to end hunger lives on,” the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) said in a statement posted on Twitter.
It was reported that crowds gathered and tributes flowed in the city of Changsha in China’s Hunan Province where Yuan was hospitalized before his death.
Yuan, who has traveled to the Philippines more than 30 times during his lifetime, made a breakthrough in 1970 when he developed a hybrid strain of rice that recorded an annual yield 20-30 percent higher than existing varieties.
The outpouring of sympathies was also evident in the social media where Yuan is being hailed for his immense contribution in the field of agriculture by helping people in many parts of the world especially those suffering from famine.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia are just some of the countries in Southeast Asia that benefitted from Yuan’s hybrid rice research h and development.