The Mozambican subsidiary of China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corp. (CR20) has planted rice on 40,000 hectares of its Xai-Xai farm in southern Mozambique this season, 3,000 hectares more than last season, the Economic Daily reported on Friday.

The Chinese state-run newspaper says the subsidiary, CR20 Moçambique Lda, began last June clearing abandoned farmland for planting with rice.

The report quotes CR20 Moçambique Deputy General Manager Hu Jigao as saying his company also built a water pumping station on the farm.

Mr Hu said the farm used drones and other modern technology to improve and increase its output.

The farm managed to obtain inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers despite disruption to international supply chains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Economic Daily says.