Organic rice grown in Taitung township wins prize

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on March 16, 2006. It reports that in a recent national contest, the second crop of "Tati organic rice" grown by farmers in Chihshang Township in eastern Taiwan's Taitung County recently emerged as the top organic rice in Taiwan.

In the contest, Hualien and Taitung Counties in eastern Taiwan accounted for five of the top 10 types of rice. It shows that the two counties have been very successful in their efforts to promote the planting and development of organic rice.

The contest focused on organic white rice packaged in small quantities and widely available in markets throughout Taiwan. All participants had to guarantee that consumers could easily locate and purchase the rice, and the contest organizers went straight to supermarkets throughout Taiwan to buy small bags of rice, rather than relying on rice farmers to provide samples.

Judges of the contest tested the freshness and texture of the rice and how easy it was to prepare them. They also checked whether there were any agricultural fertilizers or pesticide residues contained in the rice. While the protein levels and palatability rating of the rice were determined, judges further examined the appearance, fragrance, color, size and plumpness of the rice.

Eventually, the second crop of "Tati organic rice" from Taitung County emerged as the winner. All the judges agreed that the appearance of the rice was glittering and translucent, and they particularly liked the texture of the rice. The second-prize winner was the first crop of "Yuan Pin organic rice" grown in Fenshan City in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung County. The third-prize winner was the second crop of "Luyeh organic rice" grown in Luyeh Township in eastern Taiwan's Taitung County.