Rice “Tainong No. 24” is TARI’s newly released purple glutinous Indica (long-grain) variety. The variety possesses valuable desirable characteristics such as resistance to rice blast and brown planthopper, which reduces the use of pesticides and provides an environment-friendly approach to crop pest management. And the grain of this variety is endowed with unique quality features such as enticing aroma and dark purple. Tainong No. 24 rice gets its coloring from high levels of anthocyanins, which are antioxidants with putative health-promoting effects. Because of these distinctive features, the variety can be used as a health food and a raw material for various processed foods.

    Rice Tainong No. 24 is the first of its kind received its plant variety rights in Taiwan. And this high-yielding variety will soon be transferred to specialized production areas designed for purple glutinous rice to uphold its quality standards and to increase farmers’ incomes.