Why This Japanese Rice Is The World’s Most Expensive Rice?

By Megha Bajaj
Rice is a staple food in various countries around the world.  Numerous rice varieties are grown globally, each renowned for its unique taste, aroma, and price. But could rice be so expensive that a kilogram of it costs as much as a smartphone? It might sound strange, but the world's most expensive rice is indeed priced comparably to a smartphone. This rice is found in Japan, a country currently facing a rice shortage. This Japanese rice is known globally as luxury rice. The name of the world's most expensive rice: Japanese Kinmemai Premium rice. Kinmemai Premium rice from Japan holds the title of the world's most expensive rice. It was launched in 2016.

Its unique characteristics are what make it the world's most expensive rice.  A ​​kilogram of this rice costs between 12,000 and 15,000 rupees.  Every detail, from its cultivation to packaging, is meticulously managed. Kinmemai Rice Premium is produced using special Japanese rice varieties and Toyo Rice Corporation's advanced rice-buffing technology. This technology is the reason it's considered the world's most expensive rice.  Other special features of Kinmemai rice include the fact that it's the world's first hand-selected and rinse-free rice. One of the most interesting fact about this rice is that it doesn't need to be washed before cooking.

In fact, the world's most expensive rice, Kinmemai Premium, doesn't require washing because the bran and excess starch are removed during processing using advanced technology.  All you need to do is add water and cook it.  Now, you might be wondering if this expensive rice is also nutritionally superior. The answer is that Kinmemai Premium rice is also special in terms of nutrition. Yes, it contains six times more lipopolysaccharides (LPS) than normal rice, which boosts the body's immunity.

Now, regarding production, this world's most expensive rice is grown in the Koshihikari region of Japan, which is among the world's most suitable places for rice cultivation. The waterfalls, the surrounding mountains, and the mineral-rich water from natural springs work their magic on the rice plants. After the ageing process, another technique called rice buffing is used to prepare this rice.

This technique removes the two outer waxy layers of the rice grain, but it ensures that the natural taste and nutritional value of the rice are preserved. Regarding its price, when this rice was launched to the world in 2016, a 840-gram packet cost 9,496 Japanese Yen, which was approximately 5490 Indian Rupees. The price has changed over time, and currently, Kinmemai Premium costs between 12,000 and 15,000 Indian Rupees per kilogram. This rice was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016.

The cultivation of this rice began in 1961. Thus, the story of Kinmemai Premium started as an experiment to explore the nutritional potential of rice in a new way, and now it is the world's most expensive rice. This rice was developed by researchers at Toyo Rice Corporation. The goal behind developing this rice was to create a rice that could be cooked without washing. The logic behind cooking it without washing is to preserve the rice's natural nutrients, as washing rice typically removes essential nutrients and surface proteins. Let us remind you once again that the rice used in Kinmemai Premium, the world's most expensive rice, is not from a single field or variety, but is carefully blended from five different rice varieties grown in famous Japanese prefectures such as Gunma, Gifu, Kumamoto, Nagano, and Niigata. This unique characteristic is what makes Kinmemai Premium the world's most expensive rice.