Rice is one of the main staple foods of millions of people across the world today. Cooked rice one of the most common food that can be found in many nations. Rice is also one of the oldest cultivated food crops and the consumption and demand have been increasing for each year.
The rice crops require warm climate, high rainfall, rich water supply, and dedicated labour. This is the reason why most of the top rice-producing countries are from the Asian continent. Studies indicate that rice is one of the three crops that provide 42% of the total calories required to the human body. Estimates indicate that rice is the staple to almost 3.5 billion people or in simple words, half of the world population.
Here is the list of the top 10 rice producing countries in the world today.
10. Pakistan
Pakistan is the 10th largest producer of rice in the world today. A good percentage of people in this country cultivate rice, especially the people from regions of Punjab and Sindh. One of the most popular types of rice cultivated here is Basmati rice that has excellent taste and quality.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 6
9. Japan
Japan is the 9th largest producer of rice in the world today. The people of this country consider rice as their staple food and engage in rice cultivation as a part-time job. Rice cultivation in Japan started in early 300 BC and was first brought in from China. Japan even though a highly industrializes nation, still maintains its deep roots in rice farming. It is estimated that there are approximately 1.624 million hectares of land under rice cultivation today.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 8.474
8. Philippines
The Philippines is the 8th largest producer of rice in the world today. Rice is the staple food for the Philippines and has been in cultivation for a very long time. Estimates indicate that almost 4.53 million hectares of land in Philippine’s is under rice cultivation. One of the important things about this country is that the production in the country is not sufficient enough to meet the demand and the country imports approximately 1.8 million tons of rice annually.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 16.2
7. Thailand
Thailand is the 7th largest producer of rice in the world today. This country is also one of the biggest rice exporters today. The Jasmine rice cultivated in Thailand is one of the world’s best rice with high demands all over the world. One of the notable things about Thailand is that rice is considered to be their staple food, and the consumption is high, but, the country produces more than what is required for domestic use. Estimates indicate that this country consumes 10.4 million metric tonnes of rice and exports 20 million tonnes.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 30.4
6. Burma
Burma is the 7th largest producer of rice in the world today. This country was once the largest producer of rice in the world, but the quantity decline with the end of world wars. Despite the lack of technology and resources, this country still has a large area under cultivation. Rice production accounts for 65% of the GDP. One of the key reasons for large production is the presence of few major leading traders, producers, and exporters that provide excellent support for rice production.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 32.5
5. Vietnam
Vietnam is the 6th largest producer of rice in the world today. This country has suitable climate and fertile planes that enhance their production. Vietnam is considered as one of the richest countries in terms of agriculture and it is the 2nd largest exporter of rice in the world. Estimates indicate that 7.4 million hectares of land under rice cultivation in Vietnam with more than 17 million people employed in this sector.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 38.7
4. Bangladesh
Bangladesh is the 4th largest producer of rice in the world today. This country, unlike other major producers, does not have single large area under farming, most of the rice is cultivated on small farmlands owned by families and the produced rice is just enough for own consumption. Bangladesh is considered as one of the countries with highest per capita consumption rate.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 47.7
3. Indonesia
Indonesia is the 3rd largest producer of rice in the world. This country is estimated to have a rice consumption of 140kg per head annually. Latest studies indicated that the rice consumption would grow up to 38% in the future and the country has to increase it’s per hectare yields. 12.8 million hectares of land is cultivated in Indonesia currently.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 64.4
2. India
India is the 2nd largest producer of rice in the world today. This country has 44 million hectares of land under cultivation today. Rice production in this country accounts for almost 40% of total food crops cultivated. Studies indicated that this country has high consumption but is never a matter of concern as the production is surplus. In India, 50 million people work in this sector and rice production and trade has an overall impact on the economy.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 148.3
1. China
China is the world’s largest producer of rice. This country cultivates rice on irrigated farms. China alone produces the world about 35% of world’s total rice. One of the notable things about this nation’s rice production is that the area under rice cultivation is lesser than that in India, but the yield is comparatively high, this is because China uses hybrid crops that increase per hectare yield.
Annual production in million metric tonnes – 195.8
All the above-mentioned data’s were collected from several online websites, the actual production quantity might vary. The ranking was done only on the basis of the quantity of production per year. Hope this article helped you.
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I’m Hina Khan, working as a writer at Worldblaze.in blog. I love dancing and listening punjabi music. Here I’m sharing all the interesting stuffs that will definitely entertain you.