There are several places in Thailand producing top quality fragrant rice. The northeastern Ubon Ratchathani Province is one of them. 61-year old Kian Meekam has grown this type of rice for forty years. It's a way of life inherited from his parents. He says the secret is organic practices, tending to crops manually, without using chemicals or fertilizers.

KIAN MEEKAM, RICE FARMER UBON RATCHATHANI PROVINCE, THAILAND "The output of fragrant rice here is limited, but the quality is very good. It tastes soft and fragrant. I hope more and more people enjoy this type of rice. The price is still very low, so I hope it goes up a little bit."

Fragrant rice is usually planted around mid-June in Thailand, and takes roughly six months to mature. After the harvest, the chain of mass production starts. At the largest rice mill in the province, the raw materials go through fixed procedures like dehydrating and hulling.

BOOHIENG RUNGRACHKANONT EAKPAIBOON RICE MILL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP "I have been doing this for 29 years. Credibility is important to me. No matter what happens, I will deliver qualified rice to my customers on time."

The rice is then transported to Bangkok, about six hundred kilometers away, for finishing. Uthai Produce processes about ninety percent of Thailand's fragrant rice. More than ten steps take place here to upgrade the quality of rice, like sorting, whitening and polishing.

CHAROEN LAOTHAMATAS PRESIDENT, UTHAI PRODUCE CO., LTD. "I think quality is the most important things. Rice is rice, for normal people you can not tell. We have to keep close control of the quality also different season gives you different types of rice. You can blend them together to make the whole year quality consistent. And then you can make money because there's premium there. People would like to buy a little higher just make sure what they want to get."

Fragrant rice requires very controlled growing conditions involving climate, soil and water. With limited output, only two million tons are available for export.

MENG QINGSHENG BANGKOK, THAILAND "Rice trading between China and Thailand started more than two hundred years ago. Business ties continue today, with more than twenty percent of Thailand's fragrant rice exports going to China. And sailing from this port, it takes just one week to arrive in China, giving customers there a taste of the internationally renowned flavor of Thai rice."

This company in southern China's Shenzhen has partnered with Uthai Produce for 15 years. It supplies 30 percent of the country's fragrant rice market, with an annual sales volume hitting 100 thousand tons.

XU LIUWEI, CEO SHENZHEN THAI FRAGRANT RICE CO., LTD "I believe people will never have enough rice to eat. As China's economy improves, there's still much potential to tap into in this market. I am planning to expand my business to western and northeastern parts of China."

Thai restaurants are quite popular in big cities across China. For many customers, fragrant rice is a gateway to learning more about Thailand and its culture. However, the market is challenged as a result of fake or adulterated rice products. That's sparked public calls for tougher controls, to make sure this aromatic dish—is truly authentic. Meng Qingsheng, CGTN, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.