RICE TRIVIA

Rice Paddy

More than 1 billion people throughout the world are actively involved in growing rice.

50% of all the world's rice is eaten within 8 miles of where it is grown.

September is National Rice Month.

Arkansas designated Rice as the states official state grain in 2007.

Arkansas produces nearly 9 billion pounds of rice annually, on 1,785,000 acres (2010).

The secret ingredient that gives ancient Chinese mortar its legendary strength is sticky rice. An analysis of samples from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) city wall in Nanjing showed why the rice is such an effective additive to lime mortars. Amylopectin, the rice compound in the mortar, provides mechanical strength and stability, and inhibits the growth of calcium carbonate crystals, resulting in a more compact and resilient binding material. Chinese scientists re-created the mortar and determined that it is ideal for restoring ancient structures. Archaeology, Sept/Oct 2010

• Arkansas is the largest producer of rice in the U.S. accounting for about 46% of U.S. rice production.
• California is the second largest rice producing state, growing about 17.7% of the U.S. rice crop on more than 500,000 acres.
• Louisiana is the third largest rice producing state growing about 13.8 % of the U.S. rice crop on almost 400,000 acres.
• Mississippi is the 4th largest rice producing state, growing about 6.9% of the U.S. rice crop on almost 200,000 acres
• Missouri is the 5th largest rice producer in the U.S., growing about 6.5% of the U.S. rice crop.
• Texas ranks 6th in U.S. rice production, growing about 5.3% of the U.S. rice crop on 145,000 acres. (2008)

More than 2.9 million acres of land are devoted to growing rice in the U.S. (2008)

Rice is the first food a new bride in India offers to her husband and the first food offered to newborn babies.

Rice is the main dietary staple for more than 1/2 of the world's population.

Rice was first grown in the U.S. in the Carolinas in the late 1680s with rice that most likely came from Madagascar.

The U.S. exports about half of its rice crop, mostly to Mexico, Central America, Northeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

The United States produces less than 2 percent of the world's rice, but it is a major exporter, accounting for more than 10 percent of the annual volume of global rice trade.
(2009 USDA Economic Research Service)

U.S. per capita rice consumption in 2009 was about 25 pounds.

World Rice (milled) production for 2005 was 412 million metric tons. U.S. production for 2005 was 7.1 million metric tons.

It is estimated that it takes 2,000 to 5,000 tons of water to produce a ton of rice.

The major rice producing states are Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Missouri. Almost half of the U.S. rice crop is exported to over 100 countries.

There are thousands of different varieties of rice (Oryza sativa). At the International Rice Research Institute Genetic Resources Center in the Philippines, there are 80,000 rice samples in cold storage.

Rice is grown on every continent except Antarctica.

One seed of rice yields more than 3,000 grains. It is the highest yielding cereal grain and can grow in many kinds of environments and soils, which is why it is grown everywhere.
USA Rice Federation www.usarice.com

Rice, millet, and sorghum are though to be the first crops ever cultivated.

Rice has been cultivated for over 5,000 years.

Rice was introduced to Japan sometime before 100 B.C. from China or Korea.

According to Shinto belief, the Emperor of Japan is the living embodiment of the god of the ripened rice plant, Ninigo-no-mikoto.

In the late 20th century, the world rice crop averaged between 800,000,000,000 and 950,000,000,000 pounds annually and was cultivated on an average of about 358,000,000 acres.

Americans eat a little more than 24 pounds of rice per person each year. Asians eat as much as 300 pounds per person each year, while in the United Arab Emirates it is about 450 pounds, and in France about 10 pounds.

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