This file photo taken on July 16, 2022 shows farmers loading the harvested rice in Xuefengshan village of Taojiang county, central China's Hunan province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The World Bank has approved a loan of $255 million to support a program that will reduce methane emissions and improve irrigation and drainage services in rice production in central China's Hunan province, the bank's Beijing office said Thursday.

The program, with a total investment of $1.24 billion financed by the World Bank loan and Chinese government funds, will spend five years developing a sustainable rice production model and creating replicable and scalable knowledge and experiences for China and other rice-growing countries

The program will contribute to boosting climate resilience in rural areas and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in grain production, according to the bank.

The program, with a total investment of $1.24 billion financed by the World Bank loan and Chinese government funds, will spend five years developing a sustainable rice production model and creating replicable and scalable knowledge and experiences for China and other rice-growing countries.

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Mara Warwick, World Bank Country Director for China, Mongolia, and Korea, said the program will provide innovative solutions to promote climate mitigation in China's agriculture sector.