Farmers cry foul after domestic seed firm's rice hit with fungal infection

Shenzhen-listed Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture has halted sales of its Liangyou 0293 variety of seeds after a fungal disease called rice blast hit farms that had planted said rice so badly that some farmers have reported no yields, Caixin reported, citing local media. The newspaper Southern Weekend reported that Longping had engaged in fraudulent promotions and failed to warn farmers of the risk of infection, labeling the Liangyou 0293 variety as having a likelihood of fungal infection below 25% even though a note elsewhere in the same information packet noted the odds could actually rise to as high as 50%.