A groundbreaking ceremony for the High-Quality Development Demonstration Park of the Rice Industry is held in Baipu town, Rugao, Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The groundbreaking ceremony for the High-Quality Development Demonstration Park of the Rice Industry in Baipu town was held on March 6 in Rugao, Nantong, Jiangsu.

The park, which is one of the 10 municipal-level demonstration parks for the high-quality development of modern agricultural industries in Rugao, has a total planned investment of 32 million yuan ($4.45 million). It includes a new seedling center and a thermostatic warehouse, and is equipped with automatic intelligent seedling production lines and six dryers.

Cui Jin, deputy director of the Rugao Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that after the completion of the park, the bureau will ensure its sustainable development by carrying out follow-up maintenance and management.

The launch of the park marks the start of a new chapter in agricultural development in Baipu, said She Fei, the town's Party secretary. Baipu will continuously improve planting techniques, expand the industry, and promote its rice brand, She added.

Baipu town is the main rice-producing area in Rugao, with an annual cultivation area of 5,860 hectares. The town currently is home to 11 large-scale rice processing enterprises which produce 200,000 metric tons of high-quality rice annually.