Aromatic rice is also an important market in SA (Table 3 and Fig. 3) but with more specific markets, particularly in East India where demand is mainly coming from Kolkata and Patna. Differentiated demand is observed towards nutritional benefits, with urban consumers in Chittagong (Bangladesh) preferring rice with vitamin content, suggesting the existence of a nutrition-sensitive market segment particularly among parboiled-rice consumers. In the three cities surveyed in Bangladesh, it is in Chittagong where nutritional benefit is considered as an important characteristic by parboiled-rice consumers relative to non-parboiled-rice consumers.
MCA suggests that consumers in SA do not have strong association towards texture but it is widely known that high AC rice (i. e. rice tends to cook firm and dry) is generally preferred as reflected by their consumption of parboiled rice. But perhaps due to wide preference for it, not much emphasis was given by respondents when asked in general context, i. e. it was taken for granted by many consumers. Preference ranking analysis suggests differentiated demand for sticky rice in Khulna (Bangladesh). Two points can be hypothesized. First, sticky rice may be used in making certain rice dishes for special occasions since there are local varieties grown in coastal areas which are slightly sticky and could have been made available to consumers in the city. Second, consumers may be referring to non-parboiled (“raw”) rice, which is emerging in the country. In East India, preference for rice characteristics pertaining to texture was observed only in two cities, i. e. smoothness and softness in Guwahati and softness in Dhanbad. In South India, consumers prefer smooth texture of rice.