Rice, throughout
history, has been one of man's most important foods. Today,
this unique grain helps sustain two-thirds of the world's
population, yet, little is known about the origins of rice
cultivation. Archeological evidence suggests rice has been
feeding mankind for more than 5,000 years. The first documented
account of rice is found in a decree on rice planting authored
by a Chinese emperor about 2,800 BC. From China to ancient
Greece, from Persia to the Nile Delta, rice migrated across
the continents, eventually finding its way to the Western
Hemisphere.
Cultivated rices belong to three species, O. sativa, O. glaberrima
and O. rufipogon. Of the two, O. sativa is by far the more
widely utilized. O. sativa is a complex group composed of
two forms endemic to Africa but not cultivated, and a third
from, O. rufipogon, having distinctive partitions into South
Asian, Chinese, New Guinean, Australian, and American forms.
The subdivision of O. sativa into these seven forms began
long ago and came about largely as a result of major tectonic
events and worldwide climatic changes.
The world’s largest producers of rice are China, India
and Indonesia and Pakistan. Brazil is the largest producer
of rice outside Asia. Rice is also an important staple in
parts of Africa including Madagascar, Senegal, Gambia and
Tanzania, Nigeria and throughout the middle east. The consumption
of basmati rice is increasing at a level of 30% annually therefore
giving a boost to the Basmati rice’s in the European
sectors. A small amount of rice is grown in Europe, principally
in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
There are primarily four distinct types of rice:
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Japonica rice, typically grown in
regions with cooler climates, accounts for around 12 percent
of global rice trade.
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Aromatic rice, primarily jasmine from
Thailand and basmati from India and Pakistan, accounts
for around 10 percent of global trade and typically sells
at a premium in world markets.
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Glutinous rice, grown mostly in Southeast
Asia and used in desserts and ceremonial dishes, accounts
for most of the remainder
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In the low varities Long Grain white
rice, Pakistan India, Vietnam and Thailand are the core
competitors and account for approximately 65% of the imports
into the African hemisphere.
In Pakistan, rice is grown in almost the Sindh and Punjab.
The former specializing in producing the Long grain white
rice IRRI-6 and IRRI-9 and the latter producing world class
Basmati rice’s amongst IRRI-9 amongst other varieties.
Rice being climatically most adaptable cereal, various types
of land management systems for rice cultivation exists, these
are otherwise known as cultural types.
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