Small rice farming faces two big problems

The massive loss farmers have suffered after cultivating strains of rice developed by China's "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping reflects two major problems in rice production.

First, small farmers in China don't have crop insurance, essential to protect them from untoward loss. The massive drop in yield (from as much as 500 kilograms per mu - 15 mu is equal to 1 hectare - to as low as 50 kg per mu) was caused by rice blast. And since small farmers didn't have crop insurance, they had to approach the media and authorities for help.

The average loss farmers suffered is likely to be not more than 11,000 yuan ($1,615), which may not be a big amount for urban residents but is enough to deal a massive blow to a small farmer. Worse, the massive crop failure took place in Anhui province, where farmers' income is far less than in neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.