China's ratoon rice technology is being applied to lift yields and enhance food security in Malaysia, unlocking new potential for tropical farming.

In Malaysia, despite its fertile tropical landscape, the country produces only around two-thirds of the rice it needs. Cooperation with Chinese teams is supporting the country's push for greater food self-reliance.

Ratooning is the agricultural practice of harvesting a monocot crop by cutting most of the above-ground portion but leaving the roots, so that from that stubble, the plants can recover and produce a fresh crop in the next season.

Just as grass lawns regrow after they are mowed, rice fields can regrow after they are harvested. This second harvest, known as a ratoon crop, helps farmers double their yields and their income.

Professor Lin Wenxiong at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) and his team intend to boost local productivity by applying such techniques in Malaysia.

"You're sowing one time, but [you] can have two, two crops. So in this case, you can save the resource investment, and at the same time you can increase yields," professor Lin said.

Malaysian partners are eager to collaborate, and the Chinese team is equally enthusiastic about the cooperation, Lin said.

"They are very eager to think how to cooperate with us. And then we also like to do this one," Lin said.

The technique enables farmers to achieve two harvests from a single planting, effectively increasing annual harvests from two to three or even four, while saving significantly on seeds, labor, fertilizer, water and time, according to Lin.

"From the top you count: first node, second, third, fourth, fifth. In total five buds. Three or four buds can grow," Lin said.

The Malaysian Chinese Entrepreneurs Association of Penang has been instrumental in making the ratooning rice project a reality.

"I'm the one who connected with the FAFU side, the university to connect with our state government. We are seeing this project to really benefit our growers to increase more money, more income and also increase our self-sufficiency level," said Cris Lim Siew Seng, member of Chinese Entrepreneurs Association of Penang.