Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) A father and son team from Hualien County won the top prize for “outstanding rice for special applications” over the weekend in Japan’s top rice competition for the second consecutive year.

The father, Peng Wen-chiu, and son, Peng Ching-hsing, won the award in the “most appropriate rice for curry” category with rice grown in their paddies in Yuli Township in the eastern county.

The Pengs won the same award for excellence in the 2008 competition sponsored by a national rice suppliers and tasters association in Japan.

It was the second year that the association has opened its competition to foreign entries.

The competition, which took place in Fukuoka Nov. 28-29, saw a record high of 2,888 entries this year. Most came from Japan, but other entries were from from Taiwan, China and the United States.

Two other Taiwanese contestants also won special prizes at the competition. Li Huan-ming from Fuli Township of Hualien won with his rice dubbed “Kaohsiung No. 139, ” and Kuo Tzu-feng from Hsinkang Township of Chiayi County was honored for his rice dubbed “Taikeng No. 9.”

Kuo also won a special prize in the prestigious Japanese rice competition in 2008 with his “Taikeng No. 9, ” which he described as “fluffy but chewable.”

According to Peng Ching-hsing, who returned to Taiwan Monday with his father after capturing his award, the prize winners were selected after a three round competition.

The Japanese association used both men and precision equipment in the second round to sort out the better selections among the entries, according to Peng.

A total of 50 judges, who were comprised of professional rice tasters, average rice consumers and supermarket purchasing executives specializing in buying rice, tasted cooked entries in the final round to help select the winners, Peng said.

Despite being thrilled by his repeat victory in Japan, Peng lamented that rice growing in Taiwan is a money-losing proposition because the government has kept rice prices too low.

He said the average retail price of US$1 per kilo of rice in Taiwan was below cost, even after government subsidies are considered, making it impossible to treat rice farming as a business.

“We rice farmers can only make rice farming a hobby or exercise for our health,” Peng complained.

The low sale price for the labor-intensive crop has also scared the younger generation away from rice paddies, Peng added.

He expressed his hope that the government will help old farmers market their rice online to reduce their reliance on middlemen and improve their sales in global markets.

(By Deborah Kuo)

More Info: http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=172989&CtNode=39