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Abstract. Several researchers have reported that drying freshly harvested rough rice to safe storage moisture content of 13% w.b. in fluidized bed dryers resulted in a decrease in head rice yield, as compared with traditional drying methods. This phenomenon was attributed to the high thermal stress that affects rice kernels. The present study hypothesized that drying rough rice in fluidized bed dryers subjected to hold-up period would maintain the rice quality as it may reduce the thermal stress. Therefore, the goal of this research was to investigate the effects of drying and hold-up durations on the dried rice quality in a fluidized bed dryer. A bench scale fluidized bed dryer was developed and tested. The effects of drying duration of 10, 20 and 30 minutes and the hold-up duration of 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes on rough rice moisture content, drying rate, and head rice yield were investigated. During the hold-up period, paddy released a considerable amount of moisture. This moisture reduction, achieved during hold-up period, was obtained without any additional heating cost and was a supplement to the overall drying process. The hold-up period helped with thermal stress management within rice kernels and resulted in maintaining the head rice yield as compared to the rice dried without hold-up.