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Do you know that there exists rice which can be eaten without cooking it? Yes, it is true. The soft varieties of rice, which are grown in Assam as well as other North-Eastern states of India, can be eaten by just soaking it in plain water for some time.
Soft rice, as it is popularly known, need to soaked in plain water for 45 minutes. But if you want to use lukewarm water, then it should be soaked for just 15 minutes. This is a low-yielding crop, which requires a cool climate for its growth.
The scientists at the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack have come up with a new soft rice variant, which grows in Orissa, even though the temperature as well as humidity levels are high.
"We wanted to see whether the same rice can be grown here and retain the same properties. We saw it behaves the same way. Just simply soak it in water and the rice is ready to eat but the quality of water has to be clean and potable. The idea is to avoid any waterborne disease," said Dr Tapan Kumar Adhya, director at CRRI.
This rice variety takes 145 days to grow and the yield is as high as 4 to 5 tons per hectare. Scientists hope the new variety will be well received by farmers.
"We are spreading the message among farmers that it has got this property. And once they see that potential, they will take it up on their own," Adhya said.
The scientists expect that this rice will be preferred by people of Orissa as cooked rice fermented in water is one of the most favourites of the natives.
