China's leading agricultural scientist, Yuan Longping gains his third world record when his latest super hybrid rice reaped 13.9 tons of rice per hectare in Longhui County in Hunan Province, making China the leading country on hybrid rice research, China Daily reported.

Upon turning 80 last year, Longping pledged to come up with new hybrid rice that can yield 13.5 tons per hectare by 2012 and improve to 15 tons per hectare come 2020. This year's produce surpassed China's 2004 forecast of 13.5 tons of rice production per hectare.

Longping's latest rice research, DH2525 or Y superior No.2, has been cultivated by a crossbreed from different rice varieties. On Sunday, experts from the Ministry of Agriculture supervised the harvest in three randomly selected trial-field hectares.

"I was delighted as it was very difficult to produce such a high yield of rice in such a large area," Yuan told media on a press conference on Monday.

"Top quality seeds, advanced cultivation methods and fertile farmland are needed to increase rice output, Yuan continued.

China Daily also reported that Longping's research team made it to the world records first in 2000 when his team met its target yield of 10.5 tons per hectare, and in 2004 when the produce reached 12 tons per hectare.

China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that the country reaps an average rice harvest of 6.3 tons a hectare from 29 million hectares planted each year. The Ministry of Agriculture said that in 2010, the production of super hybrid rice accounted for almost 25 percent of total acres in rice planting.

"The increase in rice output will give the country the confidence to maintain its self-sufficiency in grain production, as well as help reduce poverty worldwide," China Daily quoted researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lu Bu, as saying.

But the researcher was also quick to admit that due to varying conditions and shortage of professionals, it will take more time to cure world hunger and malnutrition.