Global rice production falls, affecting food security
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), world rice production for the 2022-2023 season is forecast at 516 million tonnes, 1.6% below the previous year's output. This is the lowest global production since the 2019-2020 season.
FAO has forecast world cereal stocks at the end of the 2023 seasons to decline by 1.2% from their initial levels to 844 million tonnes, due to a projected reduction in global stocks of coarse grains and rice, offsetting an increase in wheat stocks. While production is forecast to increase in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan, it will be reduced in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, the European Union and Vietnam. FAO's forecast for global rice utilisation in the 2022/23 season has been raised to 520 million tonnes.
China is the world's largest rice producer, harvesting 25% of global rice production. The country's total rice production has increased in 20 years from 178 megatonnes to 213 megatonnes in 2021. The increase in rice production is attributed to many factors, including an increase in irrigated areas, high-yielding rice varieties, use of agrochemicals, etc
Spain produces more than 720,000 tonnes of rice per year, making it the largest rice producer in the European Union, behind Italy. In 2018, 78.6% of Spanish rice exports went to European Union countries, with a concentration in countries such as Belgium with 25.6% and the United Kingdom with 15.8%. Andalusia produces more than a third of the country's rice production. However, last year's droughts caused production to decline. In 2023, if it does not rain in April and May, rice harvests could be severely depleted throughout the peninsula.
Rice production affects the food security and socio-economic situation of half of the world's population because it is the second most consumed cereal on the planet. It is therefore one of the main staple foods in Asia, West Africa and Latin America. Therefore, an excessive price increase can have serious consequences for the food security of the poorest populations in these three continents. Globally, although international prices have moderated in 2023, local food prices remain high and continue to severely hamper access to food.
According to FAO, 45 countries need external food aid this year. The prospect of persistent drought in East Africa raises serious concerns about levels of acute food insecurity. According to the UN, up to 828 million people are unsure where their next meal will come from. According to Action Against Hunger, from 2019 to 2022, the number of undernourished people increased by up to 150 million, a crisis largely driven by conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Conflict, economic shocks, weather extremes and soaring fertiliser prices are combining to create a food crisis of unprecedented proportions.
Rice is one of the world's most water-intensive crops, requiring around 2,500 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of rice. This is why droughts are compromising its production. Most of the large-scale rice production takes place in tropical or riverine areas.
Currently, more than 733 million people, approximately 10% of the world's population, live in countries with high and critical water stress. Water scarcity, drought, floods, pollution and other crisis impacts are key challenges for sustainable agriculture and rural development. Challenges in agriculture are increasing due to climate change, rampant degradation of ecosystems that support food production, rapid population growth and unequal access to resources.
