The objectives of this study were to determine how long rice seeds remais viable, when stored under the following conditions: routine storage (open sotorage), cold and dry storage (12oC ans 30% relative umidity), and dry storage (30% relative humidity). The germination of stored seeds was determined every twomonths for a period of four years. The analysis revealed that the rice seeds sotred under routine storage conditions didi not suffer in quality during th 16-month period. However, in the long term storage (48 months) only the cotrolled storage conditions maintained the seeds, viable.