Top 10 Rice Producing Countries in World [ Updated: Types & Varieties ]

Today rice crop is being cultivated in 115 countries of the world. China ranks first in Rice Producing among all production countries with about 30% of global rice production. The continent of Asia produces more than 90% of the world, and it is a significant crop in more than 50 countries. About 96% of production is consumed in countries they grow.

Rice is usually considered a tropical crop. However, it is grown throughout the temperate zones, from latitude 50°N in China to 35°S in South America. Rice yields are generally higher in temperate than in the tropics. The world’s total area was 156.95 million hectares, while total production was 651.74 million metric tons.

The continent of Asia ranks first in production in the world and 29 countries grow. In the continent of Africa, 39 countries cultivate and it ranks second in rice production. In the Western hemisphere, the continent of South America ranks third in rice production. In the world, two major species: Asian rice and African rice are grown. About 50,000 varieties exist within these two species and only a few hundred of them are cultivated.

Rice History

Rice is the primary food for half of the people in the world and tropical and monsoon regions. Cultivation originated as early as 10,000 B.C. in Asia. As early as 4000 B.C., it was grown in Thailand, and over the countries spread to China, Japan, and Indonesia.

Later its cultivation moved to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It was cultivated in the Euphrates Valley in 400 B.C. and Mediterranean countries around 330 B.C. Its cultivation in the American Colonies began in 1685, at the commercial level.

Uses of Rice | Importance of Rice

Rice is a nutritious food, providing about 90% of calories from carbohydrates and as much as 13% of calories from protein. It is used for a variety of food and non-food products. Food includes cooked rice, breakfast cereals, desserts, and rice flour.

Also used in beer. Its hull is used as fuel, fertilizer, and insulation, while the bran is a source of cooking oil. Straw from the leaves and stems is used as bedding for animals and weaving roofs, hats, baskets, and sandals. Rice bran is used in livestock and poultry feed. Rice straw makes a good rough feed for cattle and is used for fuel and mulch and papermaking. Rice starch is the basis for most face powders.

Types of Rice

Asia is considered the homeland for the maximum varieties of this staple food. It has more varieties than other cultivators around the globe and the ten most famous and most liked types of rice in the world are as under:

Basmati Rice

The grains of this type of rice are long and they appear dry and separate after cooking. It has a nutty aroma. Basmati is most popular in Asian and Indian cuisines. It is used in dal, pilafs, curry, and saffron rice.

Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice is mainly cultivated in Thailand and is used in Thai and Asian dishes including curries and stir fry dishes. It has a floral and nutty aroma with a soft and moist texture after cooking.

Arborio Rice

The grain size of this type is medium and has a white dot in the center. Arborio rice is named after a town in Italy. It has high starch content and once cooked it has a sticky consistency and creamy texture. It is used to make soups, risotto, and rice puddings.

Black Rice

As the name suggests, this type of rice is black due to the presence of an antioxidant, anthocyanins that is also found in blackberries and blueberries. The other name for this type is ‘’forbidden rice.’’ They have a mild nutty flavor and are commonly used in Chinese cuisines.

Bomba Rice

This type of rice has short grains and is cultivated in Valencia, Spain. While cooking, it requires comparatively more water to absorb than other types of rice. It is used in Mediterranean dishes and Paella.

Brown Rice

Brown rice has its bran and germ layers intact which give it a brown appearance. It is firmer and contains more vitamins and fibers than white rice. They are used to make casseroles, rice puddings, and stuffing. They are used as an alternative to white rice as they have high nutritional value than white rice.

Long Grain White Rice

It is commonly used in traditional American dishes but is also a part of Asian and Mexican cuisines. This type has low nutrition as compared to brown or white rice. An example of this type of rice is Carolina Gold rice which originated in Africa but is now widely cultivated in the United States.

Parboiled Rice

This kind of rice is partially boiled in its inedible state. This improves their texture and shortens the cooking time. This is a type of cooking method for rice that saves the original vitamin and mineral content.

Sticky Rice

This type of rice has long grains and is cultivated in Southeast Asia and is used in a variety of sweet Asian recipes. It is also known as glutinous rice or sweet rice and it possesses low amylose starch content which makes sit sticky upon cooking. It is used in making dumplings, rice balls, and desserts.

Sushi Rice

It is a combination of short-grain white rice or brown rice with vinegar, salt, and sugar. It has a very sticky texture which makes it ideal to make sushi. This sticky nature helps to roll sushi.

Names of Rice in the World

Although, there are thousands of varieties of rice, can broadly be classified as:

Plain or Paddy Rice

Paddy rice is grown in densely populated lands and required a large quantity of water. Paddy rice fed by rainfall alone accounts for about 50% of grown worldwide. Though irrigation and rainfall fulfill the water requirements of the rice crop and provide about 35% of rice produced.

Plateau or Mountainous Rice

Plateau or Mountainous rice is grown at high altitudes and hill shapes in heavy rainfall regions. It is less productive than paddy rice because paddy waters are the storehouse of nutrients. Upland rice accounts for about 15% of rice production in the world.

Top 10 Rice-Producing Countries in World

The following table contains the list of the top 10 rice-producing countries in the years 2022-2023 along with their quantities produced, used, and exported.

China Rice Production

China outranks all nations of the world in rice production. Different types of rice In China are growing in the regions located between 23° to 33° North Latitudes, occupying Southern and southeastern provinces. The heaviest acreage and production are obtained in the lower valleys of the Yangtze and Si-Kiang rivers. China is projected to produce 147 million tons of rice in 2022-2023, which is about 30 percent of the world’s total rice production. They have to import an additional 5 million tons for their massive population of about 1.41 billion people.

Chinese Rice Farms

The Szechwan province, the floodplain of the Yangtze River basin, in the southwest Yunnan and Kweichow provinces, Fukien, Kwantung, Kwangsi provinces, provinces of Hunan, Kiangsi, and Chekiang are the main rice-farming regions in China.

India

Rice is an important crop in India. Almost every state in India grows rice. It constitutes about 23% of the total cropped area. The greatest concentrations of cultivation are in the floodplains, deltas, and coastal districts. India is the second largest populated country with 1.39 billion people. It is expected to produce 124 million tons of rice in 2022-2023 while it consumes 109 million tons and exports 19.5 million tons.

Indian Rice Production States

India is the second largest producer of rice in the world, the important rice-growing states of India are West Bengal, Tamal Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Assam.

Indonesia

Indonesia is the third largest producer of rice in the world. The humid and hot climate, rich volcanic soils, and intensive farming and growing seasons of rice made Indonesia the largest producer. Two crops of Indonesian rice varieties are grown in one year taking advantage of both southwest and northeast monsoon. Indonesia is expected to harvest 34.6 million tons of rice in 2022-23 and is expected to import 550,000 tons to fulfill the needs of 276.4 million people.

Rice Producing States in Indonesia

The following are the main rice-producing states in Indonesia:

• South Sumatra
• West Java
• Central Java
• East Java
• South Sulawesi

Vietnam

Fertile alluvial soils of river basins and hot humid maritime climate and a surplus labor force have created an excellent atmosphere for rice cultivation. Vietnam is the 4th largest producer of rice in the world. The Red River Delta in the North East and Mekong Valley in southern Vietnam is home to rice farming. It’s a 7.3-million-hectare area, while its production was 35.6 million metric tons. It is known to produce wet rice as it is grown in flooded areas. Vietnam is projected to produce 27.23 million tons of rice in 2022-2023. The 98.2 million population consumes 21.5 million tons and the rest 7.2 million tons is exported.

Thailand

Thailand is another important rice producer in the southeastern monsoon region. It ranks 6th in rice production in the world for various types of rice grown in Thailand. The maritime monsoon climate, fertile soils of the Menam basin, abundant labor, and domestic demand, has forced Thailand to produce bulk amounts. Thailand produced 27.8 million from 10.4 million hectares of land. according to stats, Thailand is projected to produce 20.10 million tons of rice in 2022-2023. The country’s 70 million population is expected to consume 12.9 million tons of rice.

Rice Producing States in Thailand

Although rice is produced in more than 58 provinces of Thailand major commercial rice-producing areas are the Khorat Plateau and Chao Phraya basin.

Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar produces a surplus and exports sizeable amounts of rice. The Monsoon climate of Myanmar is most suitable for rice cultivation. Myanmar is the 6th largest producer of rice in the world. According to the expected stats for the years 2022-2023, Myanmar is projected to harvest 12.5 million tons while 10.3 million tons is to be consumed domestically and 2.4 million tons is to be exported.

Rice Producing Areas in Myanmar

Arakan coastal region, Tenasserim region, and the river Irrawaddy delta provide fertile clayey soils that are suitable for rice production. Primarily rice is produced in Bago, Yangon, and Ayeyarwady delta regions. These regions account for 17.72%, 10.07%, and 33.59% of the total harvestable area respectively.

Philippines

Rice is a staple food crop of the Philippines, about half of the cultivated area is devoted to crops, which is more than 4.3 million hectares. More than 80% crop is paddy rice, and only about 20% is upland rice. In the Philippines, nearly all crops are grown on the western side of the mountain of Luzon and the Central Plain region. Recently, rice production in the Philippines was 16.0 million metric tons. It is expected that the Philippines will produce 12.41 million tons of rice in 2022-2023. Maritime, monsoon climate, and fertile soils have created an ideal environment for the intensive crop, and the 7th largest rice producer in the world.

Rice Producing Areas in the Philippines

Rice is mainly grown in four regions of the Philippines, these are:

• Luzon
• Western Visayas
• Southern Mindanao
• Central Mindanao

Japan

It is the staple food crop of the Japanese. Rice occupies 50% of the tilled land in Japan, which is about 1.7 million hectares. Rice is grown in coastal lowlands and hilly slopes. In the years 2022-2023, the total production of rice in Japan is expected to be around 7.45 million tons. While its consumption is 8.2 million tons, its export is 120,000 tons, and is known to import 690,000 tons of rice to feed 126 million people.

Rice Producing Areas in Japan

Kyushu and Shikoku in Western Japan are the ideal places for growing rice. Due to mechanization and agronomic skills, its per-hectare yield is quite high.

Brazil

Brazil outranks all other countries outside the monsoon Asia in rice hectare age. Brazil ranking the 9th largest rice producer in the world produces about 3% output of the world. Most of the Brazilian rice crop is grown in the southeastern region, where climatic and pedologic conditions are ideal for rice production in Brazil. The total for cultivation is 2.9 million hectares and production is 11.0 million metric tons. In the year 2022-23, rice production in Brazil is expected to be 7.3 million tons while consumption is 7.25 million tons and the rest 900,000 tons are exported.

Rice Producing States in Brazil

Rainfed or upland rice is grown in Brazil at lower than 20 degrees south in the following states:

• Mato Grosso
• Tocantins
• Rondônia
• Goiás
• Maranhão
• Pará

Pakistan

Pakistan is ranked in the 10^th position for the largest producer of rice in the world. They contribute a 2% share of global rice production. It is considered to be the second staple food of the country and occupies a 2.5-million-hectare area for cultivation. Rice plays an important role in the economy of the country as the exports are expected to be around 4 million tons in the year 2022-2023. It is projected to produce 6.6 million tons while the consumption is to be 3.7 million tons.

Rice Producing Areas in Pakistan

The fertile lands of Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab produce the major quantities of rice in Pakistan. Rice cultivation is the major source of employment for farmers in these areas. Basmati type of rice is widely grown and consumed in Pakistan.

Other Important Countries Producing Rice

The following table contains some other important countries producing rice along with the quantities of rice they produce:

Physical & Economic Factors Affecting Rice Farming

Physical Factors

The following Physical conditions are necessary:

Climate

Climate is the major factor, which specifies growth. Therefore, a specific amount of rainfall and temperature is required. These are two Major factors of climate.

Temperature

It requires high temperatures during the growing season of rice from 4 to 6 months. The temperature should be more than 26°C and in no way less than 21°C even for the quick maturing varieties.

Rice is a tropical crop, which thrives under high temperatures, between 21°C to 38°C, while the average temperature of 21°C is best suitable for its vegetative growth.

Rainfall / Water

Rice is known as a plant of water and humid climate. Average rainfall of at least 45 inches tall irrigation is required during vegetative growth of about 90 days. The crop does best under high rainfall and high humidity. In areas of moderate rainfall, 20 to 40 inches of irrigation becomes necessary.

Soil

Rice can be grown successfully on soils ranging from silt loam to clays. Alluvial soil is the most suitable soil for the growth of rice. Heavy clayey subsoil with water-retaining capacity gives the best results.

Land

The flooding of fields requires level land and therefore river valleys, deltas, and coasted plains are suitable areas. The river plain and delta regions with fertile silt at the top arid and clay bed are recognized as the best fields.

Economic Factors

Along with suitable physical conditions, high yields can only be obtained with the help of proper inputs and adopting the best Economic methods.

Soil Preparbation

The Clay loam soils with fine textures are most suitable for rice plants. Therefore, river basins and deltas are best suited for cultivation. Rice plant needs a smooth surface with a gentle slop. The soil must be well prepared and converted into fine soil particles.

Skill and Cheap Labor

Skilled and cheap labor is a Major part of crop cultivation and its plays a vital role in yield production through this source, production can be increased.

Seed Quality and Planting Time

In different planting methods, a different number of seeds is required. In most Asian countries, rice growing is started in the nursery and after 30 to 40 days of germination, transplanted in a paddy. In this method, 4 to 5 kg seed for Basmati and 8 to 10 kg for Irri is required.

Method of Plantation & Processing

In this method, when the nursery and fields are ready, Puddy fields are flooded with water and plowed by tractors or bullocks, and the water and soil mixture is prepared and known as Kaddo.

Then nursery is transplanted into rows 8 to 10 inches apart. In this method, about 2 lakh plants are transplanted in one acre. The number of plants is the key indicator to achieving the maximum yield.

Selection of Seeds Varieties

The seed plays a vital role in the production of rice. On the other hand, the selection of high-yielding variety, resistance to pests and diseases, and a locality are one of the ways of increasing yield and production.

Fertilizers Use

Rice needs fertile nutrient-rich soils. Therefore, for high and quality yields of rice balanced and in time use of fertilizers increase the yield by more than 20% now, the use of fertilizers has become very important for increasing the production of Rice.

Safety of Crops

Being a tropical crop, many pests, weeds, diseases, and insects can hit the rice crops, which causes more than 25% loss of crop, which lowers the yield. Therefore, through good management and the use of herbicides, weeds must be eradicated.

Harvesting

Harvesting rice when the moisture content is about 18 to 22 percent is necessary for quality control. Now, most of the rice crop is harvested and thrashed at the same time by combined harvesters or hand methods.

Conclusion

Rice is a staple food in many countries and is grown all over the world. It is used in a variety of cuisines and is also used in fertilizer, livestock feed, poultry feed, paper making, etc. There are many different types of rice including Basmati rice, Jasmine rice, Sticky rice, Brown rice, and Black rice. Asia is the largest producer of this crop however it is produced in many other countries. The top ten rice-producing countries in the world include China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Japan, Brazil, and Pakistan. A large portion of rice is consumed each year by the people of these countries and the rest is exported throughout the world.

Lisa C. Townes

Lisa is a passionate travelers. She spends 3 months every year visiting different places worldwide. She has visited almost every famous place in the world. She herself is an affiliate blogger