RICE IS LIFE

We Malaysians love our rice. Such a melting pot of cultures we are that, the fusion of our cuisine almost all the time gracefully settles us right in front of a plate of rice. If we are not indulging is some kind of a roti prata or a bowl of noodles than we are most definitely with a plate of rice. In fact we can’t help it; we have such an intimate relationship with rice that it has developed to a fine art; whether it is plain, boiled ,baked or prepared as part of an elaborate dish, it must always be cooked to perfection – nasi briyani, nasi lemak, nasi goreng, chicken rice, claypot rice. And not to mention at each meal, a generous helping accompanying a selection of colorful, spicy and eclectic dishes of meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, and poultry.

Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FOA – says “RICE IS LIFE” It is a symbol of cultural identity and global unity, rice is the world's most popular food. It shapes religious observances, festivals, customs, cuisine and celebrations.

Then there are these other facts

More than 90 percent of the world's rice is grown and consumed in Asia, where people typically eat rice two or three times a daily. Rice is the staple diet of half the world's population.

Rice farming has been traced back to around 5,000 BC.

Hundreds of millions of the poor spend half to three fourths of their incomes on rice and only rice.

To plow 1 hectare of land in the traditional way, a farmer and his water buffalo must walk 80 km.
It takes 5,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of irrigated rice.

More than 140,000 varieties of cultivated rice (the grass family Oryza sativa) are thought to exist but the exact number remains a mystery.

Three of the world's four most populous nations are rice-based societies: People's Republic of China, India, and Indonesia. Together, they have nearly 2.5 billion people almost half of the world's population.

The average Asian consumer eats 150 kg of rice annually compared to the average European who eats 5 kg.

Every year, 50 million people are added to Asia's soaring population of 3.5 billion.
Improved varieties are planted on three fourths of Asia's rice land and are responsible for producing most of the continent's rice.

Asia is home to 250 million rice farms. Most are less than 1 hectare.

In several Asian languages the words for 'food' and 'rice' are identical.

Rice is thrown on newly married couples as a symbol of fertility, luck and wealth.

65 kilos of rice are milled annually for every person on earth.