Beijie town in the Xinyi county-level city, Maoming, planted 120 mu (8 hectares) of black rice this year and recently celebrated a bumper crop.

Black rice is similar to normal rice in appearance and planting, and the grain shape is also basically the same, but the whole body is black.

In the past, the town of Beijie had a tradition of growing black rice, but did not pay much attention to it. In recent years, it was discovered that the nutritional level of black rice is much higher than that of ordinary rice, and the edible part is about 30 percent more nutritious than ordinary fine rice, which is called black pearl, longevity rice, or rice king. The new black rice has a great aroma when cooked.

Farmers choosing to plant black rather than ordinary rice enjoy a high income, about 40 percent higher over the same area. The town plans to expand black rice planting to 200 mu next year, and has invited experts to come over to examine plans for the field. Beijie town will begin to build a brand of black rice in the northern sector to create a local specialty industry that will help farmers become wealthier.

Black rice in Xinyi. [Photo/Maoming Daily]