Jasmine rice exports will soon run into fierce competition in the United States, which has successfully grown and registered a new type of fragrant rice called "Jazzman".

"Thai rice exports to the US could drop dramatically in the next few years once farmers in Louisiana and other states grow more Jazzman rice," Samonrat Snidvongs Na Ayudhya, director of the Thai Trade Centre in Chicago, said last week.

Louisiana State University's Agricultural Centre (LSU Agcentre) early this year boasted that it had come up with a new variety of aromatic rice, known as LA2125 before its approval, with a very similar fragrance, soft grain and quality as Thai jasmine rice.

Consumers and Asian restaurants in the US may shift to serving Jazzman rice as it tastes the same but is cheaper, Samonrat said.

Another challenge is the yield. The LSU Agcentre claims that up to 1.26 tonnes of Jazzman rice can be grown per rai, while Thai jasmine rice production has reached only 400 kilograms per rai.

Thai jasmine rice is very well recognised by American consumers as a specialty product with aromatic and soft grains. The US orders about 350,000-400,000 tonnes of jasmine |rice from Thailand a year.

Jasmine is the highest premium grade of Thai rice, which can only be raised in five provinces in the Northeast. Although Thailand mainly exports white rice, half of the income comes from jasmine rice.

Normally, Thailand exports about 2 million tonnes of jasmine rice a year. Jasmine rice exports are quoted at US$1,056 (Bt35,400)per tonne, while normal white rice sells for $569 a tonne.

The LSU AgCenter rice breeder who developed the variety said the project required 12 years of work to obtain a long-grain rice with good milling quality, high yield and the correct aroma and flavour.

Samonrat warned Thai rice exporters to prepare a new marketing and production strategy to stave off inroads by Jazzman rice as more American farmers will turn to growing this kind of crop as it promises a better return.

Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said exporters were not worried about the innovative rice in the short term as most consumers still favour Thai jasmine rice, categorised as the highest grade of rice.

However, he expressed concern about any mixing of Jazzman rice with Thai jasmine rice as it may destroy the premium quality image of Thai rice.

Source: The Nation