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Global rice production is expected to touch 476 million tonnes in 2011 on the back of improved weather conditions, as the influence of La Nina is expected to neutralise by June.
Production reached a new record in 2010 at 464 mt (696 mt paddy), up 1.8 per cent from the previous season, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation said.
“Although very preliminary, world paddy production in 2011 is forecast to expand by 2.5 per cent to 713 mt (about 476 mt, milled basis), reflecting expectations of improved weather conditions, as the influence of La Nina is expected to fade away by June,” it said.
In Asia, the output is expected to grow by 2.5 per cent to 645 mt (430 mt, milled basis), with major increases expected in China and India and a recovery in Pakistan, it added.
According to the third advance estimate of the Agriculture Ministry, rice production in India in the 2010-11 season is pegged at 94.11 mt.
However, the outlook has not been healthy for Sri Lanka that has been affected by a consecutive round of floods, and Japan, where the catastrophic earthquake in March and ensuing tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear plant radioactive leakage will affect the output, the FAO pointed out.
The event particularly affected the Tohoku district that accounts for a quarter of Japan’s rice output, it added.
“FAO estimates that the disaster will result in a 43,000 hectares cut in area cultivated to rice in 2011, equivalent to about 3,00,000 tonnes of paddy production. If confirmed, it would bring Japan’s paddy production down by 3 per cent to 10.3 mt,” it added.
In Africa, rice production in 2011 is expected to remain close to the 2010 level, with some increases in Western Africa compensating for the reductions in Egypt and Madagascar.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, paddy production is expected to recover in 2011, after last year’s reduced crop.
Output in 2011 is helped by a strong recovery in the southern part of the continent, especially in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Venezuela, where harvesting of the 2011 main paddy crops is virtually completed, it added.
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