About RICE

Rice is a very important cereal grain of Pakistan, due to its use as food for Pakistani people as well as an export commodity. It is the second staple food after wheat, and occupies 18% of the total area under food grain crops.

In Pakistan, rice covers an area of 2 million hectares. Two provinces of Pakistan i.e.Sindh and Punjab are main rice growing regions with nearly 50% area in each province. The coarse IRRI varieties are grown in Sindh and the both Basmati and coarse rices are grown in the Punjab.

In the north-eastern part of the Punjab, there is a special area called “Rice Bowl” (marked on map) which is famous since centuries for producing the unique fragrant Basmati rice.

This “Rice Bowl” lies at the foot-hills of Himalayas and is irrigated by the snow-melt water of Himalayas carried through five rivers. The word Punjab originates from a persian word comprising of two letters – “Punj and Ab” which means 5 waters. Therefore, Punjab means land of five rivers.
The word Basmati also comprises of two letters “Bas” means smell and “Mati” means soil which means smell of soil which leads us to believe that special quality of Basmati has lot to do with the soil type.
The soil of this special “Rice Bowl” is made up of alluvial clay fraction which has the capacity and capability of retaining moisture in the root-zone longer than other types of soil and this keeps the plant root zone cool. Coupled with it the foothills create a special weather that keeps days hot and nights cool which are vital for good plant growth and grain quality respectively. The pleasant and sweet fragrance of Basmati rice produced in this particular geographical belt plus the excellent quality of rice in terms of more than double elongation of cooked rice grain and fluffiness makes it a unique rice from unique rice belt which no other country can replicate, although many countries may claim to grow fragrant rice

The rice grain is famous for its versatility and is a supremely important corp. It is non- allergic food rich in complex Carbohydrates and is low in salts and fats.

The most demanding rice is cultivated in the foot hills of Himalayas. The particular soil and climate of this region is thought to account for Basmati’s taste and texture The word “Basmati” means “the fragnant one” in Hindi and is rightly considered by rice lovers around the world to be the prince of rice among 1400 varieties of rice available in the world. Basmati has a fine aromatic flavour and the grains are long and slender. The grain is aged for certain period of time to enhance its distinctive aroma.

Basmati is excellent in almost any savoury rice dish is perfect for countless rice recipes across the globe. It is a food that feeds half the population of the world.