In 2022/2023, the area harvested for rice was over ** million hectares in India. The country was the leading rice producer worldwide based on area harvested, this was followed by China with an area of about ** million hectares harvested for rice.

In the 2022/2023 crop year, China produced about 146 million metric tons of milled rice, a higher volume than any other country. India came in second place with over 135 million metric tons of milled rice in that crop year.

Milled rice

After the rice is grown and harvested from rice paddies, it undergoes a process to prepare it for human consumption, known as milling. Milling removes the rice husk and bran layers, and the end product is the rice that can be found in your local grocery store or supermarket. The estimated total volume of milled rice produced worldwide reached over 502 million metric tons in the 2022/2023 crop year.

Rice consumption worldwide

The top rice consuming countries are China, India, and Bangladesh in that order. In 2022/2023, China’s rice consumption amounted to over 154 million metric tons. The per capita consumption of rice worldwide has remained remarkably stable since the year 2000, and amounted to about 53.9 kilograms per year in 2018/2019.

This statistic shows the world rice acreage in crop years 2010 to 2023. In crop year 2023, there were around 168 million hectares of rice-cultivated area worldwide. India was estimated to be the leading global producer of rice and to harvest about 47 million hectares of rice.

Global consumption of rice has seen a slight increase over the last several years. In the 2023/24 crop year, about 523.8 million metric tons of rice were consumed worldwide, up from 437.18 million metric tons in the 2008/2009 crop year. Rice cultivation Rice requires specific growing conditions to be successfully cultivated. It must be grown in a flooded field in several inches of water. Once the unprocessed rice is harvested, it is known as paddy rice. In 2021, China produced about 213 million metric tons of paddy rice, making that country the top producer of paddy rice worldwide. India had the largest harvest area of rice in the 2022/23 crop year, at 47.8 million hectares, while China harvested 29.5 million hectares of rice in that year. Rice trade worldwide In addition to having the largest harvest area of rice, India also was the top exporter of rice in the 2023/2024 marketing year. During that time period, India exported 16.5 million metric tons of rice. Despite being the top producer of rice worldwide, China’s consumption of rice cannot be satisfied by domestic production. China is also the second top importer of rice of any country in the world, at 2.8 million metric tons of rice.

In fiscal year 2024, India had an estimated **** million hectares of land area for rice cultivation. The south Asian country is the second-largest producer of rice globally, and the largest exporter. Where is rice grown in India? Rice is considered a kharif or monsoon crop, grown in climates that are hot and humid. As a principal crop in India, it is produced in the coastal strips on the eastern and western pockets of the country, the plains of Assam in the north-east, and the foothills of the Himalayas. Sona Masuri, Swarna, IR36, and BPT 5204 are some varieties of rice produced across these regions. The world-famous Basmati rice comes mainly from Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. How much rice does India export? India was a rice importer until the *****, when it was able to domestically meet demand and supply. The country became a major exporter of the food grain in the *****. Most recently, rice exports from the country were valued at nearly *** billion Indian rupees in 2023. In July 2023, India imposed restrictions on rice exports as a result of rising domestic prices, impacting the global rice market.

In financial year 2024, the yield of rice across India was estimated to be approximately *** thousand kilograms per hectare. A consistent increase in the yield of rice was noted since fiscal year 1991 except a fall in 2021. Rice is a staple food grain in India, with the yield competing with China’s. The increasing Indian population is reflected by the growing rice demand across the country, as well as production and consumption volumes.   Rice in Indian cuisine Along with other food grains, rice is arguably the most important part of an Indian meal at least once in a day, regardless of region. India was the largest global rice producer in terms of the area harvested. Although some of this is exported, these numbers were reached in order to meet the demand for the crop – a demand from about *** billion people. Despite the cultivation of wheat and other products, rice was the most consumed agricultural product and had the highest market value in 2016. Keeping up with the demand Agriculture , the backbone of the Indian economy and the reason for over ** percent of the population’s livelihood, gets arguably not as much assistance as it needs. Even in the face of governmental efforts to improve methods and to introduce education and development programs to ensure a more productive, less labor-intensive process, recent years have proved difficult for farmers. Excessive rain leading to flooding, droughts from unpredictable heat waves, in addition to the recent slump in the economy have led to challenging circumstances. High-yielding plants, agrochemicals and the use of technology might be solutions, reflected in an increasingly funded agro-technology market in the country.

In 2024, the retail price of long-grain, uncooked white rice stood at **** U.S. dollars per pound. In 2008, rice prices rose to record highs, from ** to ** U.S. cents, as global trade restrictions were put in place, causing many large importers to panic buy rice. U.S. rice industry In the United States, about *** million acres of rice were planted and harvested in 2021. The top rice-producing states that year were Arkansas, California, Louisiana, among others. Arkansas was the leading state by far, producing over ** million cwt (centrum weight) of rice in 2021. Leading rice producers worldwide Within the 2019/2020 period, India and China were the top rice-producing countries by far, based on the area harvested. India harvested a milled rice area of approximately ** and a half million hectares, while China’s area amounted to some ** million hectares. In terms of production, however, China produced a higher volume of milled rice than India within the same crop year: China produced close to *** million metric tons of rice, while India’s figures reached an estimated *** million tons.

As of 2023, Niger registered the agricultural sector's highest contribution to the GDP in Africa, at over ** percent. Comoros and Ethiopia followed, with agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounting for approximately ** percent and ** percent of the GDP, respectively. On the other hand, Botswana, Djibouti, Libya, Zambia, and South Africa were the African countries with the lowest percentage of the GDP generated by the agricultural sector. Agriculture remains a pillar of Africa’s economy Despite the significant variations across countries, agriculture is a key sector in Africa. In 2022, it represented around ** percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, growing by over *** percentage points compared to 2011. The agricultural industry also strongly contributes to the continent’s job market. The number of people employed in the primary sector in Africa grew from around *** million in 2011 to *** million in 2021. In proportion, agriculture employed approximately ** percent of Africa’s working population in 2021. Agricultural activities attracted a large share of the labor force in Central, East, and West Africa, which registered percentages over the regional average. On the other hand, North Africa recorded the lowest share of employment in agriculture, as the regional economy relies significantly on the industrial and service sectors. Cereals are among the most produced crops Sudan and South Africa are the African countries with the largest agricultural areas. Respectively, they devote around *** million and **** million hectares of land to growing crops. Agricultural production varies significantly across African countries in terms of products and volume. Cereals such as rice, corn, and wheat are among the main crops on the continent, also representing a staple in most countries. The leading cereal producers are Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa. Together, they recorded a cereal output of almost *** million metric tons in 2021. Additionally, rice production was concentrated in Nigeria, Egypt, Madagascar, and Tanzania.

In 2022, Indonesia's food security index score stood at 60.2 out of 100, ranking 63rd out of 113 countries. This indicated an increase from the previous year, but was a lower score compared to 2020. Several indicators, such as food availability, affordability, quality, and safety, contribute to measuring the level of food security in a country. Food estate program in Indonesia In 2024, the Indonesian government allocated over 114 trillion Indonesian rupiah as a budget for food security. The significant budget increase aims to enhance food availability, accessibility, and price stability, focusing particularly on the food estate program. President Joko Widodo launched this initiative to develop vast agricultural lands, primarily for rice production, in response to global food crises. Thousands of hectares of land areas have been proposed for the program development. However, concerns have recently emerged as some proposed areas have unclear locations and overlap with protected peatlands or existing forestry concessions. The role of rice in Indonesia’s food security As a staple for most Indonesians, rice is crucial in ensuring the country’s food security. However, despite being one of the world’s largest rice producers, Indonesia still depends heavily on imports to meet domestic demand, ranking as the third-largest rice importer globally. Due to a drop in rice supply, rice prices increased significantly in 2023, resulting in the highest inflation rate among other consumer commodities in the country. The food estate program is expected to contribute to achieving rice self-sufficiency and price stability in the long term.

Growing corn varies depending on the area, and its production cycle is different in all parts of the world. In the Philippines, corn production is based on the landscape and topography of an area. In 2023, the production volume of corn in the Philippines amounted to approximately *** million metric tons, higher than the produced quantity of *** million metric tons in the previous year. Corn farming Over the past six years, about *** million hectares of land were utilized for cultivating corn in the Philippines. Despite fluctuation in production, corn remains among the leading crops produced in the Philippines. The Philippines is also one of the biggest corn producing countries globally. Corn industry in the Philippines Aside from rice, corn is considered another staple crop in the Philippines. The country has six common varieties — sweet corn, wild violet corn, white lagkitan, Visayan white corn, purple, and young corn. Some of the country's corn production is exported, especially maize seeds and frozen sweet corn.