A farmer drives a harvester in the rice fields in Shuangfeng County of Loudi City, central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Li Jianxin/Xinhua)

CHANGSHA, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A rice variety with low cadmium has passed the national crop certification for the first time in China, according to the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

The variety, named Xizi-3, was bred by the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center.

In the regional test of this variety, the cadmium content is 0.000-0.098 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg), which is lower than the national limit standard of 0.2 mg/kg, said Bai Lianyang, an official from the academy.

As a conventional indica variety, Xizi-3 could be planted in the Yangtze River's middle and lower reaches to help reduce the cadmium content in rice in some polluted areas and improve the country's ability to ensure food security, Bai said.