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Rice Today
January-March 2013
Rice facts
R
ice is a staple for nearly halfof the world’s seven billionpeople. However, more than90% of this rice is consumedin Asia, where it is a staple for amajority of the population, includingthe region’s 560 million hungrypeople.The success of the GreenRevolution in the early 1960switnessed a steady rise in Asia’s percapita rice consumption from 85kilograms per year in the early ’60sto nearly 103 kilograms in the early’90s. On the other hand, global percapita consumption rose from 50 to65 kilograms per annum during thesame period (Fig. 1). The rising percapita consumption plus the growingpopulation more than doubled globalrice consumption during this periodfrom 150 to 350 million tons (Fig. 2).However, since the early 1990s,strong economic growth in manyAsian countries, particularly in Chinaand India, halted the upward trendin global per capita rice consumption
as consumers diversied their diet
from rice to high-value products suchas meat, dairy products, fruits, andvegetables. For the past two decades,global per capita consumption has
been at at around 65 kilograms,
with a dip between 2001 and 2004due to severe drought in Chinaand India. As a result, this loweredglobal availability by more than 35million tons, with a subsequent risein per capita consumption back to 65kilograms in recent years.The reversal in the decliningtrend in per capita rice consumptionin heavyweights such as China, India,and Indonesia (Fig. 3) contributedto the recent rise in total globalconsumption: 50 millon tons in 7 years(Fig. 2).Household consumer expendituredata collected by India’s NationalSample Survey Organization (NSSO)
also conrm the aening in per
capita consumption in recent yearsfrom the declining trend in the ’90s inall four regions in India.In other countries such asBangladesh and the Philippines, percapita consumption continues to rise
by
Samarendu Mohanty
trends in global rice consumption
Fig. 1. Global and Asian per capita rice consumption.
Data source: PSD online database (USDA) and FAOSTAT population database (FAO)
Years120100806040Kilograms/year
1 9 6 0 - 6 1 1 9 7 0 - 7 1 1 9 8 0 - 8 1 1 9 9 0 - 9 1 2 0 0 0 - 0 1 1 9 6 2 - 6 3 1 9 7 2 - 7 3 1 9 8 2 - 8 3 1 9 9 2 - 9 3 2 0 0 2 - 0 3 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 2 0 0 6 - 0 7 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 2 0 1 0 - 1 1 1 9 6 4 - 6 5 1 9 7 4 - 7 5 1 9 8 4 - 8 5 1 9 9 4 - 9 5 1 9 6 6 - 6 7 1 9 7 6 - 7 7 1 9 8 6 - 8 7 1 9 9 6 - 9 7 1 9 6 8 - 6 9 1 9 7 8 - 7 9 1 9 8 8 - 8 9 1 9 9 8 - 9 9
WorldAsia
Fig. 2. Total global rice consumption.
Data source: PSD online database (USDA)
500400350300250200150100450 YearsMillion tons
1 9 6 0 - 6 1 1 9 7 0 - 7 1 1 9 8 0 - 8 1 1 9 9 0 - 9 1 2 0 0 0 - 0 1 1 9 6 2 - 6 3 1 9 7 2 - 7 3 1 9 8 2 - 8 3 1 9 9 2 - 9 3 2 0 0 2 - 0 3 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 2 0 0 6 - 0 7 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 2 0 1 0 - 1 1 1 9 6 4 - 6 5 1 9 7 4 - 7 5 1 9 8 4 - 8 5 1 9 9 4 - 9 5 1 9 6 6 - 6 7 1 9 7 6 - 7 7 1 9 8 6 - 8 7 1 9 9 6 - 9 7 1 9 6 8 - 6 9 1 9 7 8 - 7 9 1 9 8 8 - 8 9 1 9 9 8 - 9 9
across income groups in both urbanand rural areas. National representa-tive household consumption surveydata collected between 2000 and 2010from both the Philippines (FamilyIncome and Expenditure Survey)and Bangladesh (Household Income
and Expenditure Survey) conrm the
trend.Even high-income groups in both rural and urban areas are foundto consume more rice with a risein income. Unlike the Philippinesand Bangladesh, per capita riceconsumption is on a downward trendin Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.Outside Asia, rice consumptioncontinues to rise steadily, with thefastest growth in sub-Saharan Africa(Fig. 4). In the past two decades, percapita rice consumption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has increased by more than 50%. Similarly, riceconsumption continues to growsteadily in both the United States andthe European Union as consumers
