Bangladesh stands fourth in per-capita rice consumption in the world, show data prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Brunei Darussalam tops the list with per-capita rice consumption of 245 kilograms a year, according to Faostat, a regular food supply data prepared by the FAO, reports BSS.
Vietnam is in second position with an annual rice consumption of 166 kilograms while Laos is one notch ahead of Bangladesh with 163 kilograms per person.
Two South Asian nations — Sri Lanka and Nepal — are behind Bangladesh in per-capita rice consumption.
Higher rates of rice consumption are seen in much of South and Southeast Asia, West Africa, Madagascar, and Guyana. Some of these countries have consumption rates of over 100 kilograms per person a year.
Asia, the world’s most populous continent, has high rates of rice consumption. China and India alone account for more than 50 percent of the world’s rice consumption but they are far behind other Asian countries in per-capita rice consumption, says a report of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
The FAO statistics show that each person in Bangladesh consumes 160 kilograms of rice a year, which is more than three times higher than the average global consumption rate of 50 kilograms.
Myanmar and Cambodia are behind Bangladesh with annual consumption of 157 and 152 kilograms.
India, Pakistan and Bhutan are not on the top 20 list while Sri Lanka and Nepal hold the 11th and 16th positions.
Thailand, a major rice-producer, is in the 9th position with an annual per-capita consumption of 103 kilograms, while China stands 18th with 77 kilograms. South Korea is at the bottom of the top 20 list with each person taking 76 kilograms of rice a year.
Although per-capita consumption has always been high in Asia, it has more than doubled in the rest of the world over the last 50 years, says IRRI.
-With The Daily Star input
