A Rice Processing Miracle

On a sunny June day, we come to Chishang to get a taste of the slow life. We head to Brown Boulevard for a bike ride, taking in the rippling golden rice fields and the scenery of Dapo Pond. Then we eat a boxed meal made with Chishang rice, and before leaving, purchase some Chishang rice crackers as souvenir gifts.

Rice transformers

Over 40 products are made with rice from Chi­shang, from puffed rice treats, rice noodles, and rice powder to rice crackers and genmaicha. In addition, for the convenience of visitors, fresh rice can be purchased in 150-gram, three-kilogram, and five-­kilogram bags. These items generate annual revenues in excess of NT$100 million.

The development of Chishang rice products can be traced back to 2006. The motivation came from structural difficulties and market shrinkage. From 1989 to 2005, there was a stream of cases of imitation or adulteration of Chishang rice, and rice consumption in Taiwan was trending downward. Moreover, the price at which the government purchased rice for public stocks remained stagnant. With compensation for farmers being so low, something needed to be done to add value to this grain.

Huang Rong-lan, secretary of the Chi-shang Farmers’ Association (CSFA), where he has worked for 40 years, says it was really a case of “necessity being the mother of invention.” The CSFA began to produce processed rice products, and launched a branding strategy, creating Taiwan’s first ­geographical origin mark under provisions newly added to the Trademark Act. Later it introduced graded purchasing, with higher-quality rice earning higher prices.

The CSFA has adopted “graded purchasing” of rice, with standard operating procedures for everything from field management to sales. The photo shows rice being hulled.

Chishang rice being packaged.

Branding is the key

Huang notes that the reason processed rice products from Chishang sell for higher prices than most of their competitors is because the CSFA supplies Grade 1 rice, rather than broken rice kernels, as the main raw material. Grade 1 rice contains very low levels of broken kernels. This policy is a result of CSFA general manager Yu Yu-ying’s relentless insistence that the core competitiveness of processed foods comes from the “lineage” of their raw materials.

Chishang’s rice crackers, for example, currently have sales of tens of millions of NT dollars per year. The most popular flavor, salt and pepper, incorporates the sweet, refreshing taste of the premium Taiken No. 2 rice cultivar. The second most popular version is made with Taiwan red quinoa, a Taitung specialty product that is marketed as a superfood. Melt-in-your-mouth rice treats shaped like miniature steamed buns and flavored with high-quality milk are the third best selling flavor. 

Meanwhile soup rice, a product cocreated with the Master Mi company, targets the late-night snack market and young people, and aims to “replace instant noodles.” Made with Grade 1 fragrant rice, it can also be prepared instantly, yet retains the aroma and firm texture of fresh-cooked rice.

Chen Yu-chen, director of the CSFA’s agricultural extension department, notes that recently consumers have demanded “vegetarian” soup-soaked rice. The “miso tofu” flavor that Master Mi had been thinking of taking off the market has enjoyed a resurgence now that it is being made with Chishang rice. This proves that firm-textured, aromatic Chi­shang rice can be the key to reversing a product’s fortunes.

Almond squares made with Chishang brown rice have a grainy aroma.

Chishang rice crackers are made with premium-quality firm-textured Taiken No. 2 rice.

Teriyaki-flavor rice crackers have a blend of sweet and savory flavors.

Revitalized rice industry

Huang Rong-lan stresses that the success of Chi­shang’s processed rice products is inseparable from the character of the township itself, as tourism has a multiplier effect on local products. Attractions include the Chishang Autumn Rice Harvest Arts Festival, the area’s “slow life” culture (Chishang is certified as a “slow town”), and services for digital nomads. The tens of thousands of visitors who come every year drive sales to new levels.

From fresh rice to processed products, Chishang has been transformed from a bastion of the public stocks that ensure food security into a market-leading brand. The CSFA has not only redefined the value of rice, it has proven that a focus on quality can generate astounding energy for Taiwan agriculture. 

Marketing Chishang’s natural scenery as a tourist attraction ensures that the town’s name is more than a rice brand: It is a symbol of a beautiful “slow” lifestyle that inspires visitors to buy more local products.