Hongkongers can savor the sweet vanilla flavor of a rare local heirloom rice variety, Fa Yiu Tsai, once more after its absence from the SAR's fields for more than half a century.

The rare variety can be ordered on the Vegetable Marketing Organization's mobile app Local Fresh, for a whopping HK$78 per portion of 125 gram.

That's 47 times pricier than a five-kilogram bag of ordinary Thai fragrant rice, which usually costs around HK$70.

And VMO is selling only around 200 portions of 125g rice.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department had earlier obtained Fa Yiu Tsai seeds from a seed bank.

The efforts of the department and the Hong Kong Seed Technology and Education Center of the Chinese University of Hong Kong allowed Fa Yiu Tsai to be successfully reintroduced back to the city.

When cooked, Fa Yiu Tsai has a sweet aroma and taste, which has been described as being close to the smell of vanilla. It's also more nutritious.

The grains are notably shorter than Thai jasmine rice, a favorite of Hongkongers, and have a chewier and softer texture.

After tasting, rice experts said that Fa Yiu Tsai had a grainy quality and hence takes up sauces or condiments more readily, which best fits Hong Kong cuisine.

Six local farmers who were entrusted to cultivate the seeds successfully planted the crop in April, harvesting 300kg to 400kg last month.

VMO's market manager Kenneth Law Ka-ho said that while last month's Typhoon Chaba caused a decrease in yield, and production costs for packaging were high, he is confident that all 200 packs will be sold.

He also said more farmers were interested in planting Fa Yiu Tsai following VMO's promotional scheme. He expects a second harvest of the crop in October or November.

"The price of Fa Yiu Tsai will likely go down when supply grows," he said.

Mon Wong Mun-wai, agricultural officer of the AFCD, predicted that another 300kg to 400kg of Fa Yiu Tsai will be produced this year.

And "next year, large rice farms will join the planting and production of Fa Yiu Tsai," she said. "I believe more and more people will be interested in growing the crop."

Gwang Kee Farm owner Leung Kwong-yuen, who was one of the farmers who planted Fa Yiu Tsai in April, said that the growing process of the rare variety was not dissimilar to regular rice crops, but an early harvest in spring is the most ideal.

He said he was able to get 200kg of yield from 2kg of seeds.

"I have high hopes for the sale of Fa Yiu Tsai, and will plant another batch of the crop in the spring of next year."

Hong Kong's agriculture sector produces fresh vegetables, pigs and poultry for local consumption.

Local rice varieties had disappeared in the SAR for years until farmers successfully produced another variety of rice - Yi O rice on Lantau - about four years ago.

Yuen Long jasmine rice, known for its high quality, was also reintroduced by farmers in the district three years ago.

Yuen Long rice

Farmers scent success in rare HK rice breed