The World's Most Expensive Rice Is Grown In Japan And Costs Rs 12,500 A Kg

Every South Asian country has a different culture, cuisine, language, history, and heritage. Despite the differences, there is one common thing - love for rice. From India and Bangladesh to South Korea and Japan, the small white grains are a part of the staple diet across households.

From being stir-fried to slow-cooked to rolled into sushi, the grain not only takes various forms, but every country produces distinct varieties, each has a specific quality and used in particular dishes to elevate the texture and flavours.

While most of these varieties of rice are affordable and accessible, the one that has a luxury tag attached to it is Japanese Kinmemai Premium. Produced using the country's most cherished grains and Toyo Rice Corporation's cutting-edge rice-buffing technology, it is flavour-aged for at least six months and has become the world's most expensive rice.

'It is the world's first hand-selected, artisanal rinse-free rice from Japan,' read an excerpt from the official website. In 2016, it was registered in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive rice.

Rinse-Free Japanese Kinmemai Premium Rice

When preparing rice, you have to wash it a couple of times, soak it to soften and remove excessive starch and dirt, but the Japanese Kinmemai Premium grains are pre-washed in an advanced milling process that removes starch as well as bran. It does not require washing before cooking.

Kinmemai Premium grains are pre-washed in an advanced milling process that removes starch as well as bran. Photo: Kinmemai Premium/ Instagram

The website claims that it has unparalleled nutritional value. It comprises six times more lipopolysaccharides (LPS) than your regular rice. This compound is known to boost immunity, promote overall health, and help the body fight illnesses.

Grown primarily in the Koshihikari region of Japan, the grains are usually larger than the regular rice. This region is known to be surrounded by mountains and hills. Hence, the temperature range is ideal for production. Not to mention the mineral-rich supply of water for irrigation from the Mount Echigo-Komagatake's natural spring.

Why Is Japanese Kinmemai Premium Rice Expensive?

One would say that many rice varieties are grown across countries, under special temperature and geographical settings. What makes this one the world's most expensive? Well, every grain of Japanese Kinmemai Premium is hand-picked for its superior vital energy and blending compatibility.

The Kinmemai Premium grains are matured to improve their vitality, texture, and flavour. Photo: Kinmemai Premium/ Instagram

The grains used to produce this rice variety are Pikamaru and Koshihikari, some of the best ones in the world. The producers of the Japanese Kinmemai Premium rice buy these at almost eight times the actual cost of the grains. They are later matured via a unique ageing process that improves their vitality, texture, and flavour.

This variety goes through the process of rice buffing, which is one of the best grain polishing techniques. It removes the wax layer, which is indigestible, around the husk. Hence, the nutty notes and nutritional value remain intact.

Cost Of Japanese Kinmemai Premium, World's Most Expensive Rice

Rice has been a staple in Japan for thousands of years, and the country grows more than 300 varieties of the grain. From beverages to dishes, rice is used to prepare comfort food, refreshing drinks, and delicacies.

The current price of Kinmemai Premium, as per the official website, is roughly Rs 10,548 for 840 grams. Photo: Kinmemai Premium/Instagram

Keiji Saika, the 91-year-old president of Toyo Rice Corporation, is the man behind Japanese Kinmemai Premium. While rice-based Japanese delicacies have always been popular across the world, grains have never enjoyed a similar fame.

"I felt that Japan needed to better appeal to the international community about how great Japanese rice is," Saika told CNN Travel.

He introduced Kinmemai Premium in 2016 and started selling an 840-gram box for 9,496 Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 5,490). This was when the regular varieties were priced between 300 and 400 Yen (Rs 173 and Rs 231) per kilogram.

The current price of Kinmemai Premium, as per the official website, is SGD $155 (140 grams x 6 sachets), which is roughly Rs 10,548 for 840 grams. A kilogram of this would cost you around Rs 12,557.

While it is one of the cosliest rice in the world, Saika admitted that the business is not profitable. But it remains one of his many innovations to improve Japanese rice production.

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