Rice production in Thailand represents a significant portion of the Thai economy and labor force.[1]
Thailand has a strong tradition of rice production. It has the fifth-largest amount of land under rice cultivation in the world and is the world's second largest exporter of rice.[2] Thailand has plans to further increase the land available for rice production, with a goal of adding 500,000 hectares to its already 9.2 million hectares of rice-growing areas.[3]
The Thai Ministry of Agriculture expects rice production to yield around 30 million tons of rice in 2008.[4] Jasmine rice, a higher quality type of rice, is the rice strain most produced in Thailand. Jasmine has a significantly lower yield rate than other types of rice, but it normally fetches more than double the price of other strains on the global market.[3]