Rice Facts & Trivia

» Guess how many kinds of rice are kept in a bank (called genebank) at IRRI? 108,000 varieties!

» It takes 5,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilo of rice.

» A farmer must walk 80 kilometers to plow 1 hectare of rice land using a water buffalo (carabao).

» Rice is eaten by nearly half of the world's population.

» Thailand, Vietnam, India, and the USA are the top 4 countries in the world that export rice

» Science has helped more than double world rice production from 260 to 600 million tons over the past 40 years.

» Rice is the single largest food source for the poor.

» Almost half of the world's population eats rice -- about 3 billion people.

» After a farmer plants rice, it takes about 105 days before he can harvest it! Imagine if you and your family actually had to wait that long before you could eat rice?

» It takes 5,000 liters of water to produce just 1 kilo or rice -- enough to fill up half of a small swimming pool!

» Rice farming is older than the great, great grandmother of your great, great grandfather. It is about 10,000 years old!

» Do you like sushi and norimaki? These are only two of the many rice-based Japanese dishes. Did you know that two Japanese car brands were named after rice? Toyota means 'bountiful rice field', while Honda means 'the main rice field'.

» Rice is part of many religious rituals and customs, especially in Asia