The shape of rice agriculture towards 2050

The rice consumption growth is very slow in Asia during 1961-2013 and has slowed down in other continents except Africa. The consumption growth in Africa is strong during recent years. Future additional demand will come mainly due to population growth in Africa and Asia. The production growth during last fifty years led by growth in yield has helped in achieving food security in many Asian countries. Many countries have turned out to be exporters due to impressive yield growth. But, the yield growth has slowed down considerably. The demand for rice by 2050 has been estimated as 506, 562 and 607 million tons at three levels of consumption. Scientists have been able to break the yield ceilings in the last decade, which has brought new hopes of achieving the targeted production. With increasing diversification towards high value crops/commodities, Asia may lose 4 million ha of rice area by the year 2050. However, due to strong rice consumption growth in Africa, the area in that continent will increase by 8 million ha. The speed of rice area expansion and yield enhancement in Africa depends on the level of investment in research and development of infrastructure. Acknowledgement