Rice is a grass that produces several grains consumed by humans. It is believed that humans started consuming and cultivating rice for more than 3,500 years in Asia before which it gradually spread across the world. Today rice is a common food for almost all humans on the planet except for those living in colder regions such as the Antarctica where it is generally covered with snow all through the year.
Unlike trees which are planted just once, rice needs to be resown every year.
It requires a lot of water and is also called as water guzzler among plants.
It is usually grown in fields which are partially submerged in water.
Seasons to sow The plant has two seasons for sowing. These are the Rabi and Kharif.
The Kharif crop is planted in early summer and depends on the summer monsoons for irrigation and Rabi during November – December.
Official records say that there were more than 40,000 different rice varieties in India till 50 -60 years ago. Sadly much of these varieties have either been lost over time or have vanished since farmers are not so willing to grow them. And growing of many old and traditional rice varieties have vanished from our system and some rare varieties have been lost. The rice that you eat today is not what your grandparents ate. If you ask them about this they would have stories to tell you as to how the rice they consumed as a kid was far more delicious and kept them healthy. Those days when pizzas or fast foods were alien to our culture, it was simple rice porridge or overnight cooked rice soaked in water gruel which your grandparents must have had for their morning breakfast.
There are certain varieties of rice that grow only in certain regions.
For example, Basmati rice used for making biryani and pulav grows well only in Himalayan regions like Uttarakhand. Sona Masuri is native to Karnataka, while varieties such as Bapatla and Ponni to Andhra Pradesh.
Before it reaches your plate The rice grains are processed before being packed and sold. The rice, originally is not white in colour. It is light brown in colour and is considered to be healthier than the white ones you eat.
Once the rice is harvested, it is milled in rice mills to remove the outer soft coating and polished. This is called milling.
Milling makes rice fluffier and gives it white to light yellow colour. It is then sent to markets and department stores from where you buy it.
Eating white polished rice must have become a habit some 50 years back according to well known rice researchers and historians because in olden times the poor village folks seldom had the money or technology to mill the harvested brown rice into white and had to consume only the brown rice. Today there are some organisations and individuals across the country who have been doing sterling work in preserving many of the rice varieties thought to have been lost.
(M.J. Prabu is The Hindu’s Agriculture correspondent. He writes the popular Farmer’s Notebook. Write to him at prabu.mj@thehindu.co.in)
