Cambodiaโs jasmine rice variety crowned best in world

Cambodiaโs version of jasmine rice has been crowned the worldโs best for the fifth time at The Rice Trader World Conference in Phuket, Thailand. According to Phom Penh Post, the Phka Rumduol jasmine rice is a type of long-grain rice that has topped international buyersโ lists. It is also one of the varieties that is exported under the countryโs โAngkor Malysโ certification mark. It was released back in 1999 by the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute for farmersโ usage after being developed and tested for 10 years.
Cambodian Rice Federation president Song Saran said it was a โgreat honourโ for the local rice sector.
โWeโd like to thank the CRF team, the farmers, rice mill members, the agricultural community, and the agriculture and commerce ministries for supporting the production of the โbest rice,โ allowing us to participate in the competition and bring home the award to Cambodia.โ
Phka Rumduol had won the award four other times. The first win was back in 2012, with the rice variety taking the title for the next three years. Then, in 2018, it won again in Hanoi. From 2015-2017, it took second place on the world stage.
CRF vice-president and CEO of City Rice Import Export Co Ltd, โAndyโ Lay Chhun Hour, says the varietyโs reputation will further help promote the quality of Cambodian rice as the locally-grown grain must pass inspections for texture, smell, taste, and shape to clinch such an award.
In 2020, Thailandโs jasmine 105 variety was named the worldโs best by the World Rice Conference for its taste. After the Thai Rice Exportersโ Association added the 105 jasmine to the competition line-up, it was judged the worldโs best after scoring top marks in all criteria, including taste, smell, texture, and shape. The judges chose jasmine 105 following a blind test. In Thai, jasmine 105 is known as โhom maliโ, or by the agricultural name, Khao Dawk Mali 105.