Rice products
"Rice products encompass a diverse array of culinary treasures, from the comforting simplicity of white rice to the wholesome nutrition of brown rice, and the versatility of rice flour, noodles, and snacks. These products bring the world's cultures together on a plate, offering endless possibilities for delicious meals and culinary creativity."
Rice is a cereal grain and a staple food for a significant portion of the world's population. It is the seed of the Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima plants, depending on the variety, and is grown either in flooded paddy fields or in dry fields. Its versatility and nutritional value make it the base raw material for a broad family of processed products rather than a single commodity line.
The processed rice portfolio spans white rice, brown rice, rice flour, rice cakes, rice noodles, rice milk, rice bran oil and rice crackers. For a processor, each of these represents a different downstream route from the same incoming grain — milling and polishing, flour milling, extrusion and forming, beverage extraction, and oil recovery from bran — so the product mix chosen at concept stage determines the process line, equipment selection and utility loads that follow.
The global market for rice products was valued at USD 64.2 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 5% during the forecast period of 2021-2026. Growth is also rapid in North America and Europe, where demand for ethnic and gluten-free food products is rising. Major players in the global market for rice products include LT Foods Ltd., The SunRice Group, KRBL Limited, Ebro Foods, S.A., Mars Food and Thai Union Group.