Rice, a grain named desire

In the Korean language, there's a common expression, aimed at people close to us, which literally translates as "Have you eaten rice?", the term "rice" often being interchangeable with "meal". So, to ask another person if they've eaten rice is in reality to check up on them and ask if they're all right. Similar examples can be found in other Asian languages, demonstrating the special social, cultural and symbolic status of this food. Today, rice is produced and consumed all over the world, from Asia to Africa, Europe and the Americas. A wide variety of cuisines have appropriated this cereal, often elevating it to the level of traditional national or regional dishes - whether Italian risotto, Thai sticky rice or Senegalese tiep bou dien. The definition © of good rice varies from country to country," explains Patricio Mendez del Villar, economist and co-correspondent for the rice sector at the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD). For Europeans, since the famous advertisements of the 1970s-1980s, good rice is that which never sticks, whereas elsewhere broken rice will be favored."

Great adaptability

It would be wrong to speak of rice in the singular. While there are hundreds of thousands of different varieties, two species are produced and consumed worldwide: indica and japonica. The former, the most widespread, accounts for over 80% of global production. It is made up of long-grain rice and naturally fragrant rice (basmati or Thai), whose long, narrow grains detach well when cooked, as they are low in starch. The japonica variety accounts for 20% of world production. Its variously shaped grains absorb a lot of water during cooking and release starch, making them stickier (risotto, sushi rice).

Whether in terms of varieties, modes of consumption or production, the sector is characterized by great agro-socio-economic diversity. "One of the special features of rice is its ability to adapt to different climates and ecosystems.ecosystems, whether tropical, subtropical or temperate," continues the economist. Rice is the staple food of 4 billion people worldwide, accounting for 27% of calorie intake in low- and middle-income countries. There are almost 400 million small-scale producers, often working plots of just a few hectares. Patricio Mendez del Villar points out: "There is a great diversity of producer profiles, from the very small, cultivating a quarter of a hectare, to the huge farm with thousands of hectares."

Mostly self-consumed

In 2022, global rice production stood at 516 million tonnes, while consumption reached 520 million tonnes. Nearly 90% of production (and consumption) is in Asia - led by China (29%) and India (26%), followed by Indonesia (7%), Bangladesh (7%), Vietnam (6%) and Thailand (4%). Whether irrigated or flooded, 80% of cultivation takes place in water," explains Didier Tharreau, plant pathology researcher and co-correspondent for CIRAD's rice sector. There is great diversity in cropping methods and agronomic practices, but the majority model is the intensive irrigated system that predominates in Asia."It is with this system that the highest yields are obtained, from 8 to 10 tonnes per hectare, whereas the world average for all systems combined is currently 4 tonnes per hectare. The green revolution that took place on the Asian continent in the 1960s-1970s shaped a production model based on a winning triptych: improved varieties, chemical inputs and pesticides, and water management. A decade later, the United States also adopted methods derived from this model. Today, countries such as Egypt, South Korea, Australia and California have some of the highest yields, at 10 to 11 tonnes per hectare. Unlike wheat or corn, rice is mainly intended for human consumption," explains Didier Tharreau. By 2022, global exports are estimated at 52 million tonnes, a relatively modest figure compared with the volumes consumed. Rice is a cereal that travels relatively little," explains Patricio Mendez del Villar. Global trade accounts for only around 10% of world production, compared with 25% for wheat, 15% for corn and 40% for soybeans." Trade between Asian countries accounts for a significant proportion of world trade. For example, while China is the world's biggest rice producer, it is also its biggest buyer, mainly from India, with imports estimated at nearly 5 million tonnes in 2022.

Climate challenges and food crisis

Outside Asia, global consumption has been rising steadily for several decades, with the emergence of markets in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Against a backdrop of food globalization, similar trends can be observed in high-income regions such as Europe and North America. Consumption patterns are changing," analyses the economist. Today, basmati or perfumed rice, for example, accounts for almost a third of French consumption, whereas it was absent from supermarket shelves thirty years ago."In 2022, the European Union produced 2.4 million tonnes of rice and imported 1.6 million tonnes, mainly from Pakistan (33%). Global demand today is dictated by the needs of sub-Saharan Africa to feed its populations. The green revolution never took place on the African continent," continues Patricio Mendez del Villar. The main rice-deficit region, it imported 19.2 million tonnes in 2022, almost a third of global imports. "The rice industry is facing a major demographic challenge. Over the next 25 years, there are expected to be 2 billion more human beings on the planet. The population of sub-Saharan Africa alone is set to double, from 1.1 billion to 2.1 billion. This poses a real challenge in terms of food security, as the region is highly dependent on rice imports, and is therefore highly exposed to the instability of international markets."However, in Asian countries, the main exporters, national policies aimed primarily at securing domestic supplies predominate. The recent example of India, one of the market's major players, is a case in point. Last summer, the South Asian giant announced its decision to suspend part of its exports, as a consequence of poor harvests caused by global warming and its share of extreme phenomena. Thailand and Vietnam are also planning to reduce their exports, the former to enable it to adopt a better water management policy, the latter to adapt to the reduction in its rice-growing area.

The challenges facing the industry, from one country to another, from one agrosystem to another, are many and similar. The equation is complex, since it involves producing more to meet an inescapably growing demand, while taking into account social, economic and environmental issues. "Today, the highly intensive irrigated systems resulting from the Green Revolution raise the question of the accessibility, profitability and sustainability of these models," analyzes Patricio Mendez del Villar. Reducing the use of chemical inputs and pesticides, encouraging innovation by working on the genetic diversity of rice, combating salinization and heavy metal pollution, reducing greenhouse gases in irrigated systems. greenhouse gases in irrigated systems, and moving away from traditional intensive monoculture: these are just some of the ambitions of an agro-ecological transition designed to put the industry on the path to sustainability.