In Thailand, rice is the country’s most important crop, with some 60 per cent of 13 million farmers growing it on fully half of Thailand’s cultivated land. Following the Neolithic Revolution, society in the area evolved from hunting and gathering, through phases of agro-cities, and into state-religious empires.

In 2011, Thailand there was huge news about the rice pledging scheme which cost the economy billions of dollars in damages. Up to 17 million Thai farmers living under poverty. Particularly rice farmers were earning only US$ 0.4/day, 6 times below the poverty line. The debt profile of small-scale Thai farmers is perilous. The UN estimates that Thai farmers who owned their own land declined from 44 per cent in 2004 to just 15 per cent in 2011. Farmers have accumulated 338 billion baht in debt.

In 2013, the average household debt in Thailand’s northeast was 78,648 baht, slightly lower than the national average of 82,572 baht, according to Thailand’s Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE). But the region’s average monthly household income, at 19,181 baht, was also lower than the national average, 25,194 baht, according to the National Statistics Office. New technologies have also pushed up the entry cost of farming and made it harder for farmers to own their land and fund production. Many farmers have turned to loan sharks to finance their operations. In 2015, nearly 150,000 farmers borrowed 21.59 billion baht from these lenders, according to the Provincial Administration Department

At this point some young and idealist entrepreneurs from a business school with the ambitious goal to improve farmers’ livelihood in a sustainable manner and to prove business can be a pathway to make changes for a better living founded business who we call Just Fruits today. The ultimate objective of these young hands is to solve social problems in a sustainable and scalable manner. Today, Jasberry Co.,Ltd are supporting 2,500 Jasberry rice farmers in Northeastern Thailand by providing them training and assistance starting from planting the seed all the way to packaging the products to exporting internationally.

So what is so unique about Just fruits, Jasberry Rice?

Jasberry rice is considered as the world’s healthiest rice and the new superfood in the market. It has 40 times more antioxidants than brown rice, 4 times more antioxidants than quinoa and 7 times more antioxidants than kale. Jasberry rice is also soft and delicious, unlike other brown rice. Our gluten-free superfood pasta contains all the superfoods we love as well as organic coconut fibre to give them an authentic Italian pasta texture despite not containing wheat.

Its flagship product is Jasberry rice. Jasberry rice is a special variety of rice that was developed over a decade through natural cross-breeding. Organic and non-GMO, Jasberry rice is dark purple in color and absolutely delicious. They also have other products, such as gluten-free superfood rice pasta that are completely new in the market.

The global data on consumer intake of high nutrition value food is getting exponentially high and also there were rise in concern Non- GMO product awareness. By replacing conventional rice with Jasberry rice, the consumer can benefit from the high nutritional value of Jasberry superfood rice on a daily basis as well as eating delicious rice! What’s more, Jasberry rice is more versatile and affordable compared to other superfoods at the market. Jasberry rice is a non-GMO which was tested at the early seed stage. The tests also include raw materials for the range of gluten-free superfood pasta where it made sure to use the lowest temperature possible when making the product so there is no loss in valuable nutrition.

Jasberry rice, gluten-free superfood pasta and herbal tea, are all aligned with Global Halal Compliant. However, for now, have not gotten the products certified Halal in the past. It’s something they are looking to do in the near future as we believe it’s increasingly important for the consumers globally.

Discover more about the world of food & Beverage, health benefits and opportunities within the industry.

Jasberry Rice owned by Jasberry Co., Ltd, distributed by Just Fruits, visit them at Booth, 2036 at Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB) from 26 – 28 June 2019 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). See You Soon