Rice Marketing

Until recently,all the rice grown on a typical Asian plot would have been for the family's own consumption,and even today less than 4 per cent is traded between countries.Demand for rice is growing worldwide,however ,and as agriculture and jobs diversify ,a greater proportion of the rice farmer's annual crop will be sold either for the local market or for export.Europe is the biggest importer of rice,followed by Brazil and the Middle East.Many rice-growing countries import rice to supplement their own crop,as in the case of Brazil,or so that the home-grown rice can be exported.In order to earn foreign currency,China exports the greater part of its high grade rice and imports a low grade rice for its own population.In parts of the Punjab where basmati rice is grown,almost the entire crop is exported.The price that basmati can fetch means that there is a huge incentive to sell this quality rice.Paradoxically,within the region,bread is more commonly eaten than rice.