This document provides information about rice production in different countries and regions. It discusses rice mapping units and extent maps that have been developed for over 112 countries. It then provides details on rice production, including that 90% is produced in Asia, with 696 million tons produced globally in 2010. It also discusses the cultural significance of rice and that rice farming employs over 144 million small farms. The document then focuses on rice production in the United States and Mexico, providing statistics and details on the leading states/areas of production in each country.

1. Top 10 Rice
Producing
Countries

2. A note on the country rice maps
We collected rice area statistics for each country and,
whenever possible, we collected rice area statistics
for each sub national unit (i.e., state, province,
region, district, county) within those countries. We
call these “rice mapping units” and there are more
than 9,000 of them across 112 countries.
For some countries, we were able to use published
rice extent maps such as those developed by
Gumma et al (2011) and Xiao et al (2006), the
Commission of the European Communities, and the
United States Geological Survey. These covered
most of the rice-growing countries of Asia and
Europe, and the United States.

4. Production
Rice farming is the largest single
use of land for producing food.
Rice is nearly all (90%) produced in Asia.
Rice production totaled 696 million tons in 2010.
Thousands of varieties of rice are farmed.
Only 7% of all rice production is
exported from its country of origin.
Significance In Human Culture
Rice farming is about 10,000 years old.
Rice cultivation was once the basis of the social
order and occupied a major place in Asia’s
religions and customs.
Employment
Rice eaters and growers form the bulk of the
world’s poor.
Rice is the single most important source of
employment and income for rural people.
Rice is grown on some 144 million farms,
mostly smaller than 1 hectare.

5. Rice in North America
Rice in North America is
grown in the U.S.
and Mexico.

6. Rice in United States

7. General information
GNI per capita PPP$, 2011: 48,890
Internal renewable water resources, 2011: 2,818 km3/year
Incoming water flow, 2011: 251 km3/year
Main food consumed, 2009: milk, vegetables, meat, fruits,
wheat, potatoes, sugar, oils and fats
Rice consumption, 2009: 8.3 kg milled rice per person per
year

8. Total U.S. rice production value from 2000 to 2015 (in 1,000
U.S. dollars)
This statistic shows the total value of rice produced in the United
States from 2000 to 2015. According to the report, the value of
rice production amounted to approximately 1.05 billion U.S.
dollars in 2000

9. Top rice producing U.S. states in 2014 and 2015 (in 1,000 cwt)*
This statistic shows the leading U.S. states according to the highest rice
production in 2014 and 2015. Louisiana was the third leading rice
producing state with 32.7 million cwt of rice produced in 2014.
Top rice producing U.S. states in 2014 and 2015 (in 1,000 cwt)*

11. • Rice is grown in seven states, but three states—Arkansas,
California, and Louisiana—together accounted for about 82%
of U.S. rice area and production
• Arkansas is the main U.S. rice growing state, producing
about 42% of U.S. production.
• California was second, harvesting 2.2 million t on 234,000
ha; followed by Louisiana, 1.2 million t on 169,000 ha;

12. Although low compared with most Asian countries,
annual per capita U.S. rice consumption more than
doubled from 1980 to an all-time high of 12.3 kg per
person in 2000, but fell to 8.3 kg by 2009. Direct food
use accounts for 63% of U.S. consumption; processed
foods, including pet food and baby food, 22%; and
beer, 15%.
Imported rice constitutes 18% of direct food
consumption; most is aromatic Thai jasmine and
Indian and Pakistani basmati, consumed by ethnic
Asians and increasingly appreciated by the general
American population. Arborio's are also imported
from Italy.
Consumption

13. • U.S. is grown in three principal areas : the Grand
Prairie and Mississippi River Delta of Arkansas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri
• The climate varies from semiarid with less than
50 mm of rainfall during the growing season, to
the humid subtropical.
• All rice in the U.S. is irrigated and direct-seeded.
• Rice is grown on nearly 100% of the flatlands in
California and much of the southern U.S. have
been further leveled by laser-directed machinery.
Rice environment

14. Precision leveling has greatly facilitated water
management and is considered second only
to the introduction of semi dwarf varieties as
contributing to increased rice yields.
Rice environment

15. Rice in Mexico

16. • General information
• GNI per capita at PPP$, 2011: 15,390
• Internal renewable water resources, 2011: 409 km3/year
• Incoming water flow, 2011: 48.2 km3/year
• Main food consumed, 2009: maize, milk, fruits, meat, beer,
vegetables, sugar, wheat
• Rice consumption, 2009: 5.8 kg milled rice per person per
year

17. Mexican Rice Production

19. • The country currently produces more than
200,000 t of rice annually.
• Rice is grown in at least 17 states, the three major
states being Sinaloa, Campeche, and Veracruz,
each of which contributes slightly more than 20%
of the nation’s total rice production.
• The harvested area fell by about 40%, as did the
harvest, suggesting little further yield gains in
recent years.

20. Annual per capita consumption of rice
fell from around 8 kg in 2000 to about 6 kg
in 2009. Nevertheless, consumption is not
sustained by domestic production. Imports
of rice grew from less than 100,000 t in
1980 to more than 400,000 t in 2000, and
have continued to increase, to 572,000 t in
2010. Most is imported from the U.S. for
which Mexico is the largest export market.
Consumption