EXPLAINER
Rice is probably the most eaten meals globally with half a billion metric tonnes consumed a 12 months.
International rice costs are at their highest ranges in 15 years, based on the United Nations Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO).
The surge follows India’s announcement on July 20 that it might stop the export of non-basmati white rice with fast impact. The choice got here simply days after Russia halted participation within the Black Sea Grain Initiative, inflicting international meals commodity costs to rise.
Merchants have said a scarcity of rice could have a knock-on impact on wheat, soya beans, corn and maize, that are used as rice substitutes.
On this infographic collection, Al Jazeera visualises India’s rise to turning into the world’s largest exporter of rice and the nations that rely most on Indian rice exports.
How a lot water does rice use?
The apply of cultivating rice in paddies is believed to have originated about 8,000 BC alongside the Yangtze River in central China after which unfold to India and different elements of Asia.
Rice is the third most-produced grain on the planet after corn and wheat and sometimes takes 90 to 200 days to develop relying on the range and environmental circumstances.
There are millions of rice varieties worldwide, every differing when it comes to grain measurement, form, color, texture and cooking traits.
Rice is without doubt one of the most water-intensive crops to domesticate, sometimes requiring 3,000 to five,000 litres of water per kilogramme of crop – about 3 times extra water than wheat requires to develop.
India’s export ban was imposed to manage home costs and as a precautionary measure in opposition to the warming El Nino climate sample, which may trigger droughts resulting in decrease yields and even crop failures.
India, the world’s largest rice exporter
Low-cost home rice has made India the world’s largest rice exporter, accounting for almost 40 p.c of complete rice exports, which is projected to achieve 54 million tonnes over the 2022-2023 crop 12 months.
India will export an estimated 20.5 million tonnes of milled rice this 12 months, virtually 2.5 occasions that of the second largest exporter, Thailand with 8.5 million tonnes. Thailand is adopted by Vietnam (7.9 million tonnes), Pakistan (3.6 million tonnes) and the USA (2.1 million tonnes).
India has dominated rice exports over the previous decade due partially to low native costs and excessive home shares, which permits the nation to supply rice at discounts.
The animation beneath exhibits the world’s high rice exporters from 2001 to 2023:
Who buys India’s rice?
From January to July, India exported about 12.9 million tonnes of rice price almost $7bn to a minimum of 150 nations, based on India’s Directorate Basic of Business Intelligence and Statistics.
Three-quarters (77 p.c) of India’s rice exports have been non-basmati parboiled rice whereas the remaining quarter (23 p.c) has been basmati rice.
At 1.17 million tonnes, the West African nation Benin has purchased probably the most Indian non-basmati rice this 12 months adopted by Senegal (872,080 tonnes) and Kenya (685,302 tonnes).
Eight of the highest 10 locations for India’s rice are African nations that predominantly import damaged rice, the most cost effective and most filling selection.
India’s largest patrons of basmati rice this 12 months have been Saudi Arabia (639,150 tonnes), Iran (545,751 tonnes) and Iraq (383,687 tonnes).
The graphic beneath exhibits the highest patrons of India’s non-basmati and basmati rice.
After India’s ban, the US Division of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered international rice commerce forecasts for 2023 and 2024 with the organisation saying commerce within the 2024 calendar 12 months for milled rice is projected to be 52.9 million tonnes, down by 3.44 million tonnes from earlier forecasts.
The ban has had a knock-on impact on the price of different rice varieties, and the excessive rice costs are unlikely to abate within the brief time period. The FAO has advised that any probably restoration in rice commerce by subsequent 12 months would require India’s export restrictions to be lifted.
