PlanetArk 22 Apr 08;
Soaring prices are hitting rice, a staple food for more than half the earth's population, causing political unrest, supply bottlenecks, and sometimes draconian moves by governments to protect domestic stocks.
Most of the 3 billion-plus people for whom rice is a diet basic are in Asia, but it is also important in areas of Africa and the Caribbean.
Here are five facts about the cash-crop.
* Around 645 million tonnes of rice (430 million tonnes in milled rice equivalent), was grown in 114 producing countries in 2007. Rocketing prices have caused several countries to ban or restrict exports, as growing appetites in China and India, drought in Australia and pests in Vietnam add to fears millions of people may be cut off from their staple.
* A member of the grass family, rice was first farmed about 10,000 years ago. Thought to be native to deltas around such Asian rivers as the Ganges, Yangtze, Tigris and Euphrates, rice now grows on every continent except Antarctica. As well as being cooked, its grains are processed to make cakes, wine, flour and vinegar.
* The world's more than 40,000 different varieties of rice are classified mostly by length of grain -- short, medium, long. Wild rice comes from a different grass plant. Brown rice is more nutritious than white or milled rice, as its brown, fibrous outer bran layer contains proteins and minerals, while the white endosperm is chiefly carbohydrate.
* The word for rice means food or meal in several Asian languages, such as Mandarin (mi) and Japanese (gohan). Symbolising abundance, life and fertility, rice is used in marriage rites and other rituals and has inspired many sayings, idioms and dances.
* Rice seedlings grow best in warm temperatures, and in shallow water. Using traditional methods, it takes 5,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice. The majority of rice is grown in flooded (irrigated or rain-fed) paddy fields and is known as lowland rice.
Gillian Murdoch, Singapore Editorial Reference Unit
