Burundi celebrates hybrid rice harvest with Chinese assistance

A farmer shows the crop she is reaping in the vicinity of the China-aided agricultural technology demonstration center in Bujumbura province, Burundi, on May 18, 2026.

Dozens of drummers pounded their traditional drums in celebration of the rice harvest season. The special fest was part of the 7th Chinese Ambassador Harvest Award ceremony held in western Burundi's Bujumbura province on May 21.

At the event, Chinese Ambassador to Burundi Zhu Kewei and Leonard Butoyi, assistant to the Burundian minister of environment, agriculture and livestock, presented awards to individuals and groups who excelled in hybrid rice cultivation over the past year.

Farmers work at their farmlands near the China-aided agricultural technology demonstration center in Bujumbura province, Burundi, on May 18, 2026.

"With the help of the China-aided agricultural technology demonstration center, Burundi has witnessed a significant increase in its average rice yield, from 3 metric tons to 10 to 13 tons per hectare," Butoyi said at the ceremony.

Zhu remarked that the agricultural cooperation between China and Burundi has yielded significant results, highlighted by hybrid rice cultivation and poverty reduction demonstration villages. She expressed hope that the two sides would deepen cooperation and advance their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Burundi, located in east-central Africa, is known as the "Heart of Africa" due to its heart-shaped outline on the map. Agriculture is a pillar industry there. Since 2009, the Chinese government has dispatched six teams of senior agricultural experts to support the country's poverty reduction drive and pursuit of food security. With China's assistance, Burundi has gradually resolved the problem of food scarcity and moved toward food security and renewed vitality.

Chinese and Burundian officials visit the rice plot at the China-aided agricultural technology demonstration center in Bujumbura province, Burundi, on May 21, 2026.

At the ceremony, Yang Huade, head of the Chinese agricultural expert team, received a string of questions from the crowd about the rice varieties, yields and resistance to pests and diseases. He answered each question patiently.

"When I first came to Burundi in 2015, local rice industry faced multiple severe challenges, such as the degradation of local varieties and outdated cultivation methods. Low yields and inefficient cultivation resulted in poor income," Yang said. "That was the reality we faced when we commenced our technical assistance to Burundi."

Yang said that the Chinese agricultural expert teams started conducting hybrid rice trials in Burundi in 2015 and that after multiple rounds of selection and meticulous cultivation, they successfully adapted Chinese hybrid rice varieties to local conditions and achieved high yields.

The teams also developed seven high-yield rice varieties that could resist diseases and were tailored to local climate and soil conditions, so that Burundi didn't have to rely on imported seeds. Over the past 10 years, the teams have helped establish 76 hybrid rice demonstration villages and trained 110 young Burundians as agricultural technicians to lead the adoption of the technology.

"Chinese agricultural experts brought hybrid rice and cared for it like a mother tending to a newborn," said the head of a demonstration village. "Witnessing high yields at the demonstration villages, more and more farmers show their keen interest in hybrid rice, in the hope of improving their lives by cultivating this high-yield crop."

Drummers dressed in the colors of Burundi's national flag perform on traditional drums at the China-aided agricultural technology demonstration center in Bujumbura province on May 21, 2026.

"I want to thank the Chinese experts who teach me rice cultivation techniques. This has been a bumper harvest for me. I have harvested over 15 tons of rice from my 1.5-hectare field," a young agricultural technician said. "After the rice harvest, I plan to learn how to grow watermelons and cucumbers from the Chinese experts."

Gordien Ntakirutimana, a youth from Rutana county in Burunga province, was one of the young technicians who learned hybrid rice cultivation techniques from the Chinese experts in 2020. After that, he returned to his hometown and helped farmers increase their yield and income.

Ntakirutimana said that hybrid rice is now widely recognized by local residents, with the cultivation areas expanded to 326 hectares from 50 hectares in 2020.

A farmer is having meal with his family in Bujumbura province, Burundi, on May 18, 2026..

"I used to be an ordinary farmer growing local rice varieties. With the help of the Chinese agricultural experts, my life has undergone a tremendous change," Ntakirutimana said.

Over the past six years, the income he earned from hybrid rice cultivation has enabled him to buy a motorcycle and build a new house. He has even become a county chief. Looking ahead, he said plans to learn more from Chinese experts and lead local farmers toward increased production and income, pursuing a better life together.