Scented rices have been known in the Indian subcontinent since the times of Charaka [600 BC] and Susruta [200 BC]. These rices have played an important role in many regional economies, and have been the favorites of kings, religious heads, royalty and the elite of society. Most of these rices are highly area specific; hence each Indian state has its own special scented rice.

Rice is known as the grain of life, and is synonymous with food for Asians. In addition to being a staple food and an integral part of social rites, rituals and festivals in almost all Asian countries, it has a medicinal value too, which was clearly recognized by the medicine systems of the region centuries ago. Rice is the main constituent of life-saving oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and has been used for this purpose since time immemorial.

In recent decades, the introduction of fertilizer and irrigation responsive high yielding dwarf varieties of rice have resulted in more widespread and intensive use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides. The indiscriminate use of such chemical agents led to a wide array of problems and has forced mankind to consider safer ways of crop production and protection. Many such approaches are, in fact, practices that our ancestors had employed for centuries.