Bringing the national rice back

Rice is a common element at the typical Portuguese table. Even though it is produced in Portuguese soil, most of our rice are imported variants. Ana Sofia Almeida, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária (INIAV) researcher and GREEN-IT member, explains the role of research on the ultimate goal of creating Portuguese rice varieties, alongside with industry and production, on the RTP show “Faça Chuva Faça Sol”.

Rice is one of the cultures where research, industry and production really come together in order to develop national varieties. INIAV and Centro de Competências do Arroz (COTArroz) both carry out a big role in this rice breeding program with their bottom up research, focused on finding solutions for any problems the sector has, whether in production or industry, as explained by researcher Ana Sofia Almeida.

Credits to Faça Chuva Faça Sol - RTP

As most of our rice is imported, to overcome the constraint of not having a national variety, that is fully adapted to our conditions and obeying the standards demanded by consumption, comes the art of genetic enhancement. “Genetic improvement is a science that creates variability that does not exist in nature. It selects within that variability, so that the characteristics of interest are known by breeders, and specifically for the objective that needs to be achieved, selects within that variability what creates new variability within that species.”, says Ana Sofia Almeida.

The work of developing varieties with characteristics of interest to the industry and the field is a long but necessary one. Farmers recognize the importance of creating new national variability.

Check the full episode of Faça Chuva Faça Sol here.