Rice

Rice is Colombia’s third crop in land extension after coffee and corn, but comes after potatoes in production volume. It is one of the most important staples in the country, with a per capita consumption of around 40 kilos a year. Rice has only recently started to be fortified with vitamins and minerals. Grown in many parts of the country, the largest production is in the departments of Tolima, Huila, and Valle; it is also grown in the Llanos Orientales, Bajo Cauca and Caribbean regions. Cesar Martinez, a rice planter at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, told me that the main rice varieties grown in Colombia are IR-22, CICA 8, Llanos 5, Oryzica 1, Oryzica3, Selecta320, Progreso, and Fedearroz50 and Tailandia. However, Fedearroz 50 is the leading variety planted in about 70 percent of the rice area of Colombia, mainly because of its high yield potential and resistance to major insect pests and diseases and good grain quality. This is a long-grain white rice that is sold in bags and that is not precooked or parboiled; some parboiled rice is sold but not a lot; also some brown rice, but it has very limited consumption, mainly for vegetarians and people with health-conscious mentality.