The Arkansas Agricultural Experimental Station has developed a new flavored rice cultivar called ARoma 22. To cultivate a different floral aroma and a color reminiscent of Asian rice. The U.S. now has a higher demand for flavored rice, according to Farmprogress.com.

According to the USDA's Economic Research Service, the sharp increase in rice imports from Asia in recent years has been driven by Thailand's jasmine rice. "Given the strong competition from Asian and South American suppliers and the unclear prospects for exporting long-grained U.S. rice, or flavored rice, it represents an opportunity for U.S. farmers to expand production and reduce dependence on imports," he said Álvaro Duran- Morat, Associate Professor of Agriculture. and Economics at the University of Arkansas.

The experimental station launched a rice development program in 2010 to capture a growing niche market. As part of the Foundation Seed program, requests for flavored rice have been met in recent years. In 2020, 1,249 seed bags were sold. For the 2023 harvest, producers will order 2,565 bags. A bag contains 50 kilos of rice seeds. ARoma22 COP was developed by Professor Eérita Karen Moldenhauer and Deborah Arent Wisdom.

"The goal is to meet the needs of consumers and producers to develop high-quality, high-yield flavored rice lines," said Deborah Wisdom. "Aromatic rice farmers would like to have more seeds to grow as they find more and more markets available."

Source: Agrolink