Tongzhou district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province recently received approval to build a national standardized production base for rice, local media reported.

The base, which includes the planting areas in six towns in Tongzhou, will cover an area of 116,300 mu (7,753 hectares).

In the base, rice varieties, plant standards, disease and pest control methods, and procurement price of rice will be stipulated.

Tongzhou is currently home to a 400,000-mu planting area for rice that has a yield per unit of 620 kilograms.

The building of the national standardized production base will boost the unified management of rice cultivation and help improve the yields and quality of rice produced by the district.

A harvester operates in a paddy in Tongzhou district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/ntjoy.com]