USDA Rice Projections, 2008-17
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

With commodity prices high across the board, the competition among crops for acreage in the United States over the next decade will be keen, especially in regions like the Delta where multiple cropping options are available. For rice, despite rising prices and strong global demand, high production costs associated with U.S. rice farming will sharply limit area expansion. Although the domestic market continues to expand, the global rice market remains critical to the viability of the U.S. rice industry. Exports account for 45 percent or more of total use of U.S. rice each year, a much higher share than for most other major field crops.

Although the United States accounts for less than 2 percent of global production, it is currently the fourth-largest rice-exporting country. Stronger global demand and a tight supply situation in other major exporting countries will support rising U.S. exports over the next decade. While annual growth rates for domestic disappearance continue to expand, they have declined from levels achieved in the 1980s and 1990s.

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