Rice is undoubtedly the most important crop in the world, and particularly in Asia where food security is considered as having stable prices for rice in the major urban areas of the nation. India accounts for 20% of rice production worldwide and is the largest producer after China. The productivity in India increased from 80 million tonnes in 1980 to around 157 million tonnes (as of 2014).

The productivity has increased because an increase of 3 million hectares was noted by 2014. As per the report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, India’s rice production reached to a record high of 104.32 million tonnes in 2011-12 crop year (July-June).

On the business and trade front, India being a rice importer in the initial years of the 1980s, India transformed itself with production of 157 million tonnes and exports around 11 million tonnes. Since 2011, India is the largest exporter of rice in the world market. Rice has maintained a positive growth in yield, and if the overall agricultural GDP has to grow, the onus is on higher rice yields. And since the arsenic level in countries like USA is more than 0.3 mg/kg of arsenic, the advantage is with India to dominate the world market in terms of meeting the Codex standard.