Rice exports are concentrated in the hands of just a few large exporting nations. The
six largest rice exporters in 1999 were Thailand, Vietnam, China, the USA, India and
Pakistan (in volume terms and in that order). Exporting 7 million tons in 1999, Thailand
is by far the leading rice exporter, accounting for almost 30% of total world exports
(26 million metric tons, according to FAOSTAT 2001). Vietnam ranked second
that year, exporting more than 4 million tons, and thereby accounting for 18% of total
exports.