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Thais have long prided themselves on being able to exclusively produce home-grown jasmine rice. But that may no longer be the case. Recently, an American university managed to register a new strain of the rice called "Jazzman" rice.

Although Thai agriculturalists say that the new American rice strain is of a lower quality than Thai jasmine rice, the Jazzman rice will be a competitor to Thai hom mali rice. First of all, the yield for Jazzman rice is three times that of Thai jasmine rice. In addition, the name of the new strains is a play on words, and so some consumers may not be bothered about preferences if the pronunciation of one sounds almost the same as the other.

This is not to suggest that we should cry foul over the emergence of new rice strains. In fact, if we lose our competitiveness, we are the ones to blame. We have neglected the research and development of rice for years. Thais have been complacent about what nature gives us. We have fully utilised our resources, and now virtually nothing is left for us to exploit further. We have wastefully damaged our natural environment and failed to maximise production by improving yields per rai and developing crop quality.

This is despite our traditional belief that rice is a sacred commodity. Rice has been a foundation of our civilisation for centuries. Thai hom mali rice has for years provided a refreshing aroma that, so far, no other rice strain - Jazzman rice included - can beat. Unfortunately, we have failed to recognise the value of our fields. Many rice paddies have been turned into golf courses or polluted industrial sites, while the official agencies involved have failed to help Thai farmers develop the quality of their rice.

The emergence of new rice strains with similar quality to local products should not be taken for granted by those who wish to maintain the superior status of Thai rice on the world market. We maintain that the aromatic quality of some Thai rice strains is indeed superior, but in competitive markets such as the US, the label on a product can affect the perception of the consumer. For instance, several years ago, sales of Vietnamese catfish dropped in the US after the US Congress banned the fish from being labelled a catfish. This was in response to American catfish breeders who asked for trade protection for their home-bred catfish, and to reiterate to American consumers that the Vietnamese catfish was a different species. Vietnamese catfish is now branded with strange names such as pangasius, tra, basa or swai. The manipulation of the fish's name effectively changed the buying behaviour of many American consumers.

The European Union has tried unsuccessfully to change the name of sardines from Peru and elsewhere as "pilchards" or "sprats", to protect their own fishermen. European consumers would certainly be more comfortable asking for "sardines" instead of other names with awkward pronunciation.

What might happen to Thai jasmine rice if American or international consumers wrongly think that Thai jasmine rice and American "Jazzman" rice are of the same strain? Chances are that the exceptional and aromatic Thai hom mali rice might eventually fail in competition with an aggressive marketing campaign the Jazzman produces.

Meanwhile, rice researchers elsewhere are conducting programmes to further develop the quality of their rice, while Thais are still ignorant and complacent about what we have. Governments have traditionally focused energy on assisting big industrialists and conglomerates that have political connections. The emergence of Jazzman rice will not be the last strain to directly compete with Thai rice. More new strains with developed quality are set to appear soon. Jazzman rice is an alarm bell for us to seriously look at our national treasures, to maintain and improve our fields, and to promote better rice quality and a higher living standard for farmers.

Rice is our heritage. It has fed us for centuries. It keeps our natural environment from the threat of polluting industries that destroy our environment. The government should shift its focus to promoting Thai rice to ensure that our traditions will be passed on to our children.