Healthier Red Rice Discovered by Malaysian Researchers Hits Store Shelves

Malaysia – where rice is a staple in daily meals – has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. While working to increase the yield ceiling of rice using a wild rice species as a parent in the breeding programs, researchers at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) found a new type of rice that had a lower glycaemic index value (GI) levels, which ultimately became Primera® Red Rice.