BEIJING -- A major rice research platform will be built in northeast China with a total investment of about 90 million yuan (about $13 million) to promote the upgrading of the rice industry in the northern part of the country.

The construction of the northern rice research center of the China National Rice Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has recently been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The center will be built in Baoqing county, Shuangyashan city, Heilongjiang province. As a national science and technology innovation platform, the center is expected to significantly improve the contribution of science and technology in the rice industry in northern China, and promote the development of a high-quality rice industry.

The center will focus on rice resources innovation, new variety selection, ecological research, cultivation technology innovation and soil fertilization and remediation research.