Costa Rica- Rice Growers??

Hello all, I am looking for any info and/or local knowledge on growing rice here in CR. We eat alot of Tipico here on the farm and it would be great to grow some of our own staples.


Any help in the following areas or your suggestions are welcomed.
- seed stock availability?, varieties, etc.
- your techniques and field conditions..
- De-hulling, local techniques or a community machine perhaps??


Thanks
J

I would just ask my neighbors if I were you. Rice is a huge crop in Costa Rica. I don't know very many people though who grow their own, since it is subsidized by the government here (and price controlled too).

I personally don't eat much rice, I prefer to get my carbs from things that have nutrients, and white rice is just about like eating sugar - and white sugar at that. Brown is much better, but bananas, plantains, yuca, papa chinos, etc grow like weeds for us, so I don't bother.

But like I said, ask the local Ticos, they will know all you want to know.

Not many people in my current area are growing rice. I am in Monteverde and we have got alot of grazing going on here. Although I had previously put out the word that I was interested in this.

I am not considering growing commercial white rice. We have many of the alternative carb sources you mentioned growing. But there seems to be something special about Rice and Beans, verdad?
This is what is customary for many here and I would like to integrate it into the farm's crop production.

Any chance you growing some local, heirloom variety beans? I am also looking for seeds for those too.

Thanks for the help Fred.