Importance of Rice. The <strong>GMS</strong> is home to <strong>the</strong>“rice bowls” of <strong>the</strong> Ayeyarwady, Chao Phraya,Mekong, and Red River deltas. Most of <strong>the</strong> poorsubsist on a diet of rice and fish. Myanmar,Thailand, and Viet Nam earn foreign exchange byexport<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir surplus production. Rice productionis crucial to <strong>the</strong> subregion’s economies.In Viet Nam, rice accounts for more than 85% offood gra<strong>in</strong> output; <strong>the</strong> country became a net riceexporter <strong>in</strong> 1989 and produced about 40 million tons<strong>in</strong> 2010. In Thailand, <strong>in</strong> spite of a decl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g trend<strong>in</strong> domestic demand, rice production cont<strong>in</strong>ued togrow, mak<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>the</strong> second largest producer <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><strong>GMS</strong>. Thailand’s rice exports have been grow<strong>in</strong>gsteadily and stood at 9.1 million tons <strong>in</strong> 2010. Nextto Thailand, Viet Nam exported 6.9.million tonsof rice and is now <strong>the</strong> second largest rice exporter<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. Much of <strong>the</strong> surplus production <strong>in</strong>Thailand is from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tensively cultivated centralregion, where <strong>the</strong> area planted with rice grew from6.9 million <strong>hectare</strong>s <strong>in</strong> 1968 to 10.9 million <strong>hectare</strong>s<strong>in</strong> 2010 and has s<strong>in</strong>ce been fluctuat<strong>in</strong>g between9 million and 11 million <strong>hectare</strong>s, depend<strong>in</strong>g on<strong>the</strong> relative price of rice <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world market.<strong>GMS</strong> Rice Production, 2000 and2010 (<strong>thousand</strong> ton)Country 2000 2010Cambodia 4,026.1 8,249.5PRCGuangxi 13,607.7 11,212.5Yunnan 5,362.9 6,165.7Lao PDR 2,201.7 3,006.0Myanmar 21,324.0 32,579.0Thailand 25,844.0 31,597.2Viet Nam 32,529.5 39,988.9<strong>GMS</strong> 104,895.9 132,798.8<strong>GMS</strong> = Greater Mekong Subregion, Lao PDR = Lao People’s Democratic Republic, PRC =People’s Republic of Ch<strong>in</strong>a.Source: Cambodia M<strong>in</strong>istry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Rice Production. http://www.stats.maff.gov.kh/en/<strong>in</strong>dex.php?page=stat&mode=riceproduction&option=com_content&Itemid=47; FAO. FAOSTAT. http://faostat.fao.org/site/291/default.aspx (accessed6 August 2012); Government of Myanmar, M<strong>in</strong>istry of Agriculture and Irrigation.2011. Myanmar Agriculture at a Glance 2011. Nay Pyi Taw; Guangxi Bureau of Statistics.2011. Guangxi Statistical Yearbook 2011. Beij<strong>in</strong>g; Thailand M<strong>in</strong>istry of Agriculture andCooperatives. 2011. Indicators of <strong>Agricultural</strong> Economy of Thailand 2010. Bangkok;Government of Viet Nam, M<strong>in</strong>istry of Plann<strong>in</strong>g and Investment, General Statistics Office.2011. Statistical Yearbook of Viet Nam 2010. Ha Noi; Yunnan Bureau of Statistics. YunnanStatistical Yearbooks 2001 and 2010. Beij<strong>in</strong>g.commercial farm<strong>in</strong>g practices. Although<strong>in</strong>dividual countries are progress<strong>in</strong>g at differentpaces, <strong>in</strong> general, <strong>the</strong> countries are adopt<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>tensification, specialization, <strong>in</strong>creasedagrochemical use, and mechanization. Trendsobserved <strong>in</strong> Thailand and <strong>the</strong> PRC are likelyto emerge <strong>in</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r countries of <strong>the</strong> <strong>GMS</strong> <strong>in</strong>future. Production of such commodities as rice,oil crops (soybean, groundnut, sesame, andsunflower), and coarse gra<strong>in</strong>s (maize, millet, andsorghum) has more than doubled s<strong>in</strong>ce 1990,outpac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> region’s rapid population growth.Many farmers have switched from grow<strong>in</strong>grice to produc<strong>in</strong>g commercial crops, such asfruits, vegetables, rubber, and pulpwood.In Myanmar, rice is virtually <strong>the</strong> only food gra<strong>in</strong>produced and employs nearly 40% of <strong>the</strong> laborforce. In 2010, Myanmar produced 32.6 milliontons of rice on 8 million <strong>hectare</strong>s of land. InCambodia, rice is <strong>the</strong> most important staple food,grow<strong>in</strong>g on about 2.7 million <strong>hectare</strong>s and <strong>the</strong>country has ambitious plans for expansion and<strong>in</strong>tensification. Cambodia was a net importer ofrice until 1995; s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong>n, <strong>the</strong> country has becomeself-sufficient <strong>in</strong> rice production and produced 8.2million tons <strong>in</strong> 2010, export<strong>in</strong>g a small quantity.The Lao PDR produced 2.3 million tons of rice(2010) on an area of about 627,865 <strong>hectare</strong>s.<strong>GMS</strong> Rice Production,2000–2010 (<strong>thousand</strong> ton)140,000120,000100,00080,00060,00040,00020,000020002001200220032004200520062007200820092010Most of <strong>the</strong> rice crop <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> subregionis still harvested manually. Upper:Thresh<strong>in</strong>g rice, and Lower: Sun dry<strong>in</strong>grice, <strong>in</strong> Guangxi, PRCTrends <strong>in</strong> <strong>Agricultural</strong> ProductionCambodiaMyanmarGuangxi, PRCThailandYunnan, PRCViet NamLao PDRAgriculture <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>GMS</strong> is shift<strong>in</strong>g fromtraditional subsistence farm<strong>in</strong>g to modern<strong>GMS</strong> = Greater Mekong Subregion, Lao PDR = Lao People’s Democratic Republic,PRC = People’s Republic of Ch<strong>in</strong>a.Source: See table on <strong>GMS</strong> Rice Production, 2000 and 2010.Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Security 155
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