Rice

The seed of grass Orzya sativa, known as Rice, is the largest consumed staple food in the world. It is the third highest produced food commodity after maize and sugarcane. Rice can be grown in different regions, and in different environments based on the water availability. In general, water logged area is not an optimal growth condition for rice. However, the crop can survive water logged area and floods. Un-milled rice, commonly called paddy, is harvested when the moisture condition of the grains is approximately 25%. Asia is by far the largest producer of rice, and it is a staple diet in most Asian countries. Rice is rich in iron and fiber contents.

The traditional methods of cultivating rice, however, include flooding the fields while planting the seedlings. Thus, rice plantation requires proper irrigation. The method also does not allow pest and vermin to thrive. In ancient times, long before the introduction of hybrids rice varieties, over 400 different varieties of rice is said to have been grown all over Sri Lanka. At present, only a few strains of rice is widely grown and the majority of them are fertilizer dependent hybrids. The most popular cultivations in Sri Lanka are Samba Rice, Keeri Samba Rice, Red Nadu, Red Samba, Red (Kekulu) Rice, White (Kekulu) Rice, Nadu Rice.