Rice is the most dominant of all cash crops; it is a part of many delicacies and will always be in demand. For export, rice cultivation was first started by the Chinese, which slowly spread across west Asia and south-east Asia. Europe later followed the suit. Countries in eastern and southern parts of Asia have an appropriate climate that is needed to cultivate rice, with a humid environment and suitable soil. The four most basic requirements for rice production are high temperature, humid environment, enriched land, and the surplus of water. The best production capacity for rice is in china, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, etc.
Let’s take a look at where these countries stand in the rice export race.
China
When we talk about China and rice, quality and quantity go hand in hand. It is blessed with a great mass of land and the biggest counties for cultivation. Rice is a staple in the Chinese diet, which is eaten by two-thirds of the people in the country. Due to good quality and high production capacity china is the leader of rice export in Asia. Chinese rice is so renowned that it is solely sold by the word of mouth without any high expenditure on advertisement or pitching buyers.
India
The second-highest player in the rice export race is India. It too has great cultivation conditions. That is the reason it is the second-largest exporter in Asia. India has vast stretches of land, seasonal changes, and annual rainfall, which makes it conducive for rice production. It is a major part of the Indian diet and the country produces both white and brown rice. Both basmati and non-basmati rice from India has a special recognition world over. The major export of non-basmati rice from India goes to Saudi Arabia. India initially was slow on exporting rice even after second-highest production due to the non-digitalization of agriculture exports. Rice production houses have recently seen a major change after computerizing their buying and selling process. Companies like tradologie.com initiated this trend change, leading to excessive order inquiries for Indian rice.
Indonesia
India is followed by Indonesia in this race. Lush green paddy fields scattered over the large patches of land is a usual view in Indonesia. Over 10 million hectares of land is used for rice cultivation in the country. Government to beat India and china in the race is focusing on increasing rice yield in recent times, they are also initiating schemes for cultivators to travel and participate in promoting Indonesian rice all across the globe as Indonesia does have great high-quality varieties of rice.
Vietnam
A major part of Vietnamese land is dedicated to rice horticulture. A major region associated with rice cultivation in the country is in Mekong delta and is also called the “rice bowl”. It is so vast that it can meet the 18% demand for the 17 million population of the country. Rice is a major source of revenue for the Vietnamese economy and the government is always looking for ways to increase global selling of their rice.
Thailand
Currently, 9.2 million hectares of land in Thailand is used for rice cultivation, and in the coming years, the government is planning to expand the area further. The last highest recorded production of rice in Thailand was 25 million tons at the end of the financial year 2017. The famous jasmine rice, which is sold at double the rate and is highly expensive, is a Thailand production. It is whole grain rice extremely high on fiber and protein, unlike white rice which is high on carbohydrates. Though jasmine rice is expensive compared to other rice although due to its nutritional qualities people, those who can afford it and celebrity chefs are always promoting its consumption.
These top 5 countries coincidentally all fall in the Asian continent and Asia is known for its agricultural quality and export. The world might not appreciate China for its low-quality products but looking at the trend and data China is winning the rice race at least. Cheap labor and all suitable cultivating condition is China’s forte, it would require major efforts to beat China in this race. However, India is now focusing on educating its population about the importance of going digital for business, companies like tradologie.com as mentioned before are pioneering this initiative, connecting buyers directly with the rice-processors and eliminating middlemen is an extremely beneficial situation for both. With more than three thousand buyers on board from India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia, the plan was established for rice-processors to whom exporting their commodity was an alien concept. Trade transactions of over 10 billion worldwide is proof enough that online is the next-gen trading. If in coming years more people join hands with such initiatives it will be very fruitful and could change the lead hierarchy with India leading this race, something time will tell.
