HANOI: Global milled rice trade this year is forecast to drop 2.5 per cent from 2014 to 41.3 million tonnes, due mainly to good stockpiles or higher production in Asia, the United Nations food agency said on Friday.

Global paddy output in 2015 is forecast to edge up 1.1pc from last year to 749.8m tonnes, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said in its rice market monitor report for April.

Thailand is expected to be the world’s largest rice exporter this year with shipments of 11.2m tonnes, followed by 9.3m tonnes from India and 6.5m tonnes from Vietnam.

As such, the three Asian nations would account for a combined 65pc of the world’s rice trade, down slightly from 68pc last year.

FAO revised up India’s rice exports last year to 11.3m tonnes from 8.2m tonnes estimated earlier, making it the world’s largest exporter in 2014, followed by Thailand with 11m tonnes and Vietnam with 6.5m tonnes.

China, which was the world’s biggest importer last year along with Nigeria, is forecast to raise its import volumes by 5.2pc to 3.2m tonnes in 2015 due to higher demand in the mainland, the report said.

Nigeria’s purchases abroad are forecast to dip 3.3pc to 2.9m tonnes in 2015.

Rice output in China, also the world’s top producer, is forecast to edge up 0.2pc to 208.5m tonnes this year, FAO said.

Last year China and Nigeria each bought 3m tonnes of rice from abroad.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2015

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