The plantation area of high-yield super rice will increase to at least 120 million mu (8 million hectares) this year, according to a statement last week from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In 2011, the plantation area of 83 species of super rice totaled 110 million mu. Meanwhile, the average yield for these species reached 583 kilograms per mu during the same year.

In total, super rice species yielded 7.54 billion kilograms more than regular species of rice during 2011. The increased yield also generated 144.6 yuan ($22.86) more per mu.