For the third edition, we have doubled the number of countries for which production-related information is provided. This is due to help from Foreword the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which agreed to provide material from its rice production country database (CORIFA—country rice facts) and to become a copublisher of the Almanac. The Almanac now covers 64 countries, including all the major producers. The production and other statistics used herein are derived primarily from FAO, which include official country data (FAOSTAT), surveys, reports, and personal communications; IRRI’s RICESTAT database, which is based on primary data from requests and questionnaires and secondary data from statistical publications and international organizations including FAO, the International Labour Organization, the World Bank, etc.; and regional data from CIAT and WARDA.