Rice has a mythical place in the world, its domestication considered a cornerstone in the history of agriculture. Hinduism, dating back more than 5,000 years, devotes a great place to it, using it as a major offering to the gods. The same occurs in Buddhism. In fact, it is believed that rice was first cultivated by man in Southeast Asia. From there, it spread and is now grown on every continent bar Antarctica.

Alexander the Great is thought to have brought it to Greece and Sicily from his expedition to India, in 344-324 B.C. Rice eventually found its way to North Africa. The reason why it never caught on in Europe as a major food item is attributed to a medical belief of the 16th century. As malaria swept though the Mediterranean area, the disease was blamed on swampy areas. Rice fields were discouraged and Italy undertook major drainage operations. The presence of rice in South America is in turn attributed to the colonial adventures of Portugal and Spain in Brazil and Central America respectively.

These earlier developments established a lasting trend in rice production. Today, the major producers remain in Asia, with China, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh leading the tonnage table, as estimated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Interestingly, the same countries also top the consumption league. Indeed, 90% of rice is cultivated and eaten in Asia and 96% in the developing world according to the FAO.

This peculiarity explains why there is no real large-scale farming of the crop except in the US, Southern Europe and parts of South America. Rice is mainly grown on small self-contained family farms. A small surplus is then sold. The only places with farms averaging more than two hectares are found in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Punjab in India.

<B>Genetic manipulation</B>

Thus, only a small proportion of rice finds its way onto the world market, eventually accompanying many Mauritian dishes. The FAO points out that only 6.3% of the rice produced in the world is traded internationally, for an annual value of US$8.6 billion, compared to 18.1% for wheat and 11.6% for coarse grains. Again, only a few countries are actual exporters. Thailand, Vietnam, India, the US and China account for 75% of all rice sold globally. Thailand alone controls 30% of that market.

However, rice is encountering a number of problems. With rapidly increasing populations, there is a mounting pressure on production. The imbalance between supply and demand that was present in 1995 will continue in 2025, even with improved methods of irrigation and fertilisation. South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa will up their demand by 1.6% and 2% respectively while East Asia will increase its consumption by 0.4%. Increased urbanisation will also play a role in rice production. On the one hand, it will force the conversion of fertile rice fields, in certain regions, to accommodate the demand for housing, roads and industry. Conversely, migration to the cities and women’s participation in economic activity have made rice a firm favourite among the urbanites because it is easy to cook.

But with urbanisation and a higher standard of living in some countries, as we have seen in Mauritius, there has been a change in eating habits. Vegetables, fruits and meat have become more important parts of the diet. The increase in the consumption of ‘fast foods’ will also lead to a decreased demand for rice. The fact that Mauritians now consume a lot of bread is down to the choice of facility over time-consuming traditional recipes. As both parents in a family are now employed fried fish fingers or burgers with bread will gradually banish “rice and curry” off our dinner tables. This is a paradox when compared to the world stage and is not applicable everywhere. While the Mauritian trend will manifest itself in richer countries, the poorer countries will continue to request rice as the main staple food.

As rice became a precious commodity, due to its rarity and its increasing fashion appeal in the West, multinational companies have rushed in to grab a share of the market. Immigration has added an impetus to the rice market, as the multicultural cities of Europe and America want to sample Eastern cuisine. If these countries are self-sufficient in the grain, it is because of increased genetic manipulation of the seeds, which allows them to grow in different climates and be less prone to disease. Cross-breeding of plants in the lab is also a common feature of rice production. Thus, an American company, Rice- Tec, attempted to register basmati as a trademark in 1997 through the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

<B>The seeds of polemic</B>

Biopiracy, which had been practised for years, thus came into public debate. The scandal involved RiceTec trying to patent a crossbreeding method, known to Indian farmers for hundreds of years, on basmati, a type of rice cultivated over millennia. The patent, if it was left unchallenged, would have allowed the company to market its variety of rice, Texmati, Jasmati and Kasmati as Basmati. However, RiceTec was still allowed to register its products as hybrid versions of basmati and to patent them as exclusives despite protests from campaigners against biopiracy. This shows the unscrupulousness of some companies as they make fallacious claims over plants and seeds from the developing world, with the help of the oppressive TRIPs laws.

Rice, although consumed in vast quantities in Mauritius, has a long, often untold, history. A life at times colourful, involving many travels and at other times very dark, with a greedy capitalist system trying to exploit it. But it still remains unique, in terms of flavour, nutrient value, production and even polemics.

<B>Diren Valayden Outlook Correspondent in Dublin</B>