overview
Rice is produced worldwide and is the primary staple for more than half the world's population. In the United States, rice farming currently generates more than $1 billion a year in income. The United States, while accounting for only 1-2 percent of global production, is a major exporter. Domestically, per capita rice consumption has been increasing for the past two decades, currently standing at about 26.5 pounds per year. ERS analyzes events in the domestic and global rice markets that influence supply, demand, trade, and prices.

contents

• Background
• Trade
• Market outlook
• Policy

feature
USDA Rice Baseline, 2004-13 provides background on supply and demand trends for rice, underlying the baseline projections in USDA Agricultural Baseline Projections to 2013, and summarizes key results for the U.S. rice sector.

recommended readings
Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Rice Farms reports that regional differences in production practices, farm characteristics, and growing conditions were major influences on production costs incurred by U.S. rice producers in 2000. Three-quarters of rice production was concentrated on large and very large farms, categories that included nearly two-thirds of all rice farms.

Rice Yearbook provides in-depth information and analysis of U.S. and international rice markets that include a recap of the previous market year and the outlook for the coming year. The domestic section focuses on U.S. production, export markets, and prices. The global section looks at major importers and describes factors driving international trends.

China's Japonica Rice Market: Growth and Competitiveness briefly describes the evolution of China's japonica rice market over the last two decades, including the impact of changes on China's competitiveness in key Asian import markets. While China has traditionally exported long grain (or indica) rice varieties, in recent years, it has exported substantial amounts of japonica rice as well.

See all recommended readings...

recommended data products
Monthly tables from Rice Outlook contain the latest data on production, use, prices, and trade.

Rice yearbook tables provide key data on U.S. and world rice acreage, supply, demand, and prices.

Rice production costs and returns data and analyses are available at regional and national levels back to 1975.

Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States (FATUS) provides U.S. agricultural exports and imports, volume and value, by country, by commodity, and by calendar year, fiscal year, and month, for varying periods, such as 1935 to the present or 1989 to the present. Updated monthly or annually.

Production, Supply, and Distribution (PS&D) contains official USDA data on roduction, supply, and distribution of agricultural commodities for the United States and major importing and exporting countries. The database provides projections for the coming year and historical data for more than 200 countries and major crop, livestock, fishery, and forest products.

WTO Agricultural Trade Policy Commitments Database contains data on implementation of trade policy commitments by WTO member countries. Data on domestic support, export subsidies, and tariffs are organized for comparison across countries. This queriable database offers various options for viewing and downloading data.

recent research developments
A forthcoming book on the world rice market. ERS researchers are contributing several chapters for a book describing the global rice market, which will focus on regional production practices, global marketing, and projections for beyond 2000. It will also address rice biotechnology, rice trade, and U.S. rice policy. Contacts: Gail Cramer, Nathan Childs, or Bill Chambers.

Measuring the efficiency of Asian rice farming. ERS and University of California (Davis) researchers are assessing the comparative efficiency of rice production in major producing countries in northeast Asia, and in the United States. Emphasis is on the impact of recent changes in land tenure in sia. Contacts: John Dyck or Nathan Childs.

Efficiency of the rough rice futures market. ERS and University of Arkansas researchers are investigating the economic performance of the U.S. rice futures markets, including evaluating the pricing efficiency of the market and assessing the cross-hedging potential of rough rice futures for medium grain rice. Contact: Nathan Childs or Linwood Hoffman.

questions and answers
Frequently asked questions and answers concerning domestic rice production, U.S. rice imports, and rice consumption.

newsletter
Rice Outlook provides monthly updates on current market developments and their influence on the rice sector, with data on production, consumption, prices, and trade.

related briefing rooms
Agricultural baseline projections
U.S. agricultural trade
Farm and commodity policy
Farm income and costs
Farm structure
World trade organization (WTO)

related links
Websites of other USDA agencies and universities contain valuable information on rice.

See all related links...

maps and images gallery
Charts from Rice Outlook contain the latest data on production, use, trade, and prices for U.S. and global markets.

View maps of harvested acres by county and yield per harvested acre. (Clicking on either of the maps will take you to another website, so please bookmark us before leaving!).

for more information, contact: Nathan Childs
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: October 5 , 2004