V.N. Nguyena with the contribution of D.V. Tranb
a Agricultural Officer (Rice Agronomy), Crop and Grassland Service, FAO, Rom
b Executive Secretary of the International Rice Commission
In 1995, rice production was reported in 113 countries in the world: 30 in Asia, 27 in America, 41 in Africa, 11 in Europe and 4 in Oceania. In 2000, data from Afghanistan in Asia were not available, but in Oceania, in addition to the four countries reported in 1995, rice production was also reported in Solomon Islands. Of the 113 rice-producing countries in 2000, 10 produced more than 10 million tones (Mt), 20 produced between 1 and 9.99 Mt, 35 produced between 100 000 and 999 999 tonnes, and 48 less than 100 000 tonnes. The rice-producing countries reported in 2000 were as follows:
MAJOR CLIMATES AND MAIN RICE-GROWING AREAS IN ASIA
Asia: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
America: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Réunion, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
MAJOR CLIMATES AND MAIN RICE-GROWING AREAS IN AMERICA
MAJOR CLIMATES AND MAIN RICE-GROWING AREAS IN AFRICA
MAJOR CLIMATES AND MAIN RICE-GROWING AREAS IN EUROPE
Europe: Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain and Ukraine.
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Micronesia (Federated States of), Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
Although a lot of information on rice-producing countries is available, it is quite often difficult and time-consuming to obtain a comprehensive picture of rice production and related factors in given countries. Following the recommendation of delegates at the 18th Session of the International Rice Commission held in Rome, Italy in 1994, the Secretariat of the Commission has made efforts to collect, analyse and collate information on rice-producing countries for the production of a “Profile of Country Rice Facts” (CORIFA) in order to assist interested individuals, institutions and organizations interested in supporting sustainable rice production. The sources of information for the preparation of CORIFA are summarized below:
The primary sources of information for CORIFA are FAOSTAT and the back-to-office reports of officers belonging to FAO’s technical units and who are members of the Steering Committee of the International Rice Commission (IRC). Between 1980 and 1999, several hundred missions were undertaken to rice-producing countries worldwide by these officers.
Other important sources of information on rice-producing countries are the results of the survey undertaken in 1987 by the IRC in collaboration with national programmes in member countries.
The third group of sources of information includes: country reports presented at Regular Sessions of the IRC; workshops organized by FAO-supported networks on rice and related subjects; reports by FAO consultants and field projects; FAO Representations in member countries; and published articles and books. Please see References.
The fourth source of information are personal communications between technical officers of the Secretariat of the IRC and officers, researchers and scientists of rice programmes in FAO member countries and at international agricultural research institutes.
Notes on CORIFA
GNP per caput: PPP$:
This indicator measures the total output of goods and services for final use produced by residents and non-residents, regardless of allocation to domestic and foreign claims, in relation to the size of the population. As such, it is an indicator of the economic productivity of a nation. It differs from Gross Domestic Product by further adjusting for income received from abroad and labour and capital by residents, for similar payments to non-residents, and by incorporation of various technical adjustments including those related to exchange rate changes over time. This measure also takes into account the differing purchasing power of currency by including Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) adjustment of “real GNP”. Some PPP figures are based on regression models; others are extrapolated from the latest International Comparison Programme benchmark estimates (UNFPA 2000: Demographic, Social and Economic Indicators, Summary of the State of the World Population 2000).
Symbols used in the basic statistics:
M = millionHa = hectare
t = tonne
T = thousand
kg = kilogram
