According to an ancient Chinese proverb, “without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook”.
Today, housewives around China are unlikely to run short of the grain. The country, which has ample domestic supplies on the back of near record production levels, is this year set to become the largest rice importer for the first time, overtaking Nigeria.
Historically, China has been the world’s largest producer and consumer of rice. Apart from years where bad weather led to crop shortages, it has been a net exporter, shipping surplus output to Asia and Africa. In 1998, China was the fourth-largest exporter, accounting for 14 per cent of the global market, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
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