Luoding Rice

Luoding Rice

Luoding Rice is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Luoding is a national standardized production base for green food raw materials (rice) and is renowned for its rice that is nutritious, delicious, aromatic, and visually appealing. It has been awarded the title of National Advanced County in Grain Production four times.

　　Luoding is one of the regions in Guangdong Province with the earliest history of rice cultivation. It is a national commodity grain base county and an important major grain-producing area in Guangdong, having won the title of National Advanced County (City) in Grain Production four times. In the recently concluded "2012 Top Ten Most Popular Local Specialties in Guangdong" selection event hosted by Southern Media Group, Luoding Organic Rice stood out and became one of the top ten most popular local specialties. Currently, Luoding boasts a number of well-known rice brands such as "Yacan Rice" and "Julong Rice." With the impetus of the Luoding Rice Festival, modern eco-agriculture that is green and healthy is flourishing across the Longzhou region. The crystal-clear, richly fragrant high-quality Luoding rice has become a highly sought-after commodity sweeping through southern Guangdong.

　　Good mountains and good water produce good rice. The reason why Luoding Rice has become a widely favored and highly popular branded rice among the many varieties is mainly due to Luoding’s six irreplaceable advantages in producing premium-quality rice:

　　Advantage One: Luoding has superior natural conditions. Located at 22°N latitude, Luoding enjoys an average annual sunshine duration of 1,790.0 hours and an average annual temperature of 22.1°C. The seasons are distinctly marked by dry and wet periods, making it highly suitable for rice cultivation.

　　Advantage Two: Luoding has a unique basin terrain. As the largest basin in Guangdong, Luoding features a distinctive basin climate with frequent sun showers and thunderstorms, large diurnal temperature variations, and minimal influence from peripheral weather patterns. This allows better accumulation of natural energy, facilitating the nutrient accumulation and transformation in rice and other plants, resulting in rice that is both nutritious and of high quality.

　　Advantage Three: Luoding has a sound ecological environment. Luoding is a national model city (county) for afforestation and greening, with a forest coverage rate of over 60%. Industrial pollution is minimal, and it is the only city (county) in the province without haze. The water, soil, and air within its borders are of high quality and free from pollution. Additionally, the soil in Luoding is rich in calcium, silicon, and various trace elements, yielding rice that is crystal-clear and of superior quality.

　　Advantage Four: Luoding has high-quality irrigation water sources. Luoding has a comprehensive water conservancy and irrigation network, with effective irrigated farmland accounting for 83% of the city’s total cultivated land. Most of the water used for irrigating rice comes from reservoirs and mountain springs, which are free from heavy metal contamination. The water in Luoding is relatively cool with a weak alkaline nature, which helps neutralize the weak acidity of the soil, aiding in the retention of organic matter in plants and preventing nutrient loss. The main water source, the Jin-Yin-Hai Reservoir, meets the national Class I surface water standards. Only high-quality water can nurture high-quality rice.

　　Advantage Five: Luoding has a long history of rice cultivation. Artifacts unearthed in Luoding, such as carbonized rice seeds and bronze sickles from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, prove that Luoding has a long history of rice farming and has accumulated extensive experience in rice cultivation. Through continuous practice, the people of Luoding place great emphasis on innovation, constantly exploring superior seed varieties and optimal farming methods to enhance rice quality. Currently, the coverage rate of high-quality crop varieties in the city exceeds 95%, placing it among the top tier in the province.

　　Advantage Six: Luoding has a well-established agricultural technology network. Luoding is equipped with specialized agricultural technology institutions and personnel at the city, town, and village levels, supported by a comprehensive agricultural technology service system. Agricultural technicians frequently visit fields to provide farmers with free training on seed selection, fertilization, pest control, and other planting techniques throughout the entire process. They guide farmers in adopting scientific cultivation practices, thereby improving farmers’ awareness of modern agriculture and their technical skills in planting management, ensuring both high yields and premium quality of rice.

　　The current administrative region under the jurisdiction of Luoding City, Guangdong Province

　　Luoding Municipal People's Government "Request for Delineation of the Production Area Scope of Luoding Rice," Luofu Report [2013] No. 44

　　Guangdong Provincial Local Standard: "Luoding Rice" (Draft)