Developing countries account for 95% of global rice production, Asia alone produced 90% of world rice, with China and India accounting for more than half of the world rice production.
Because most of the rice produced in the world is consumed where it is produced, the world rice market is thin and subject to substantial price volatility.
Rice ecosystems vary widely across countries and regions. In Europe, the United States, and Australia, rice is cultivated solely under irrigation. In Africa, on the other hand, the majority of rice is cultivated upland, with less than 20% of cultivated under irrigation.
In 2012, world rice production was around 738.1 million metric tons. With only 4 percent of world’s rice in the world trade, a stable local supply is crucial to the food supply of most countries.
Rice feeds more people than any other crop. In Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, 56 to 80 percent of daily calories come from rice.
World rice production
