SOME facts about rice:
Around 645 million tonnes of rice (430 million tonnes in milled rice equivalent) was grown in 114 producing countries last year.
There are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice and they are classified mostly by length of grain - short, medium and long.
Rice seedlings grow best in warm temperatures and in shallow water.
Using traditional methods, it takes 5,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of rice. The majority of rice is grown in flooded (irrigated or rain-fed) padi fields and is known as lowland rice.
The word for rice means 'food' or 'meal' in several Asian languages, such as Chinese (mi) and Japanese (gohan).
Amid soaring prices and fears of shortages, several countries are considering or have curbed exports of the commodity:
Indonesia: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono yesterday ordered officials across the sprawling archipelago, South-east Asia's largest rice consumer, to prevent illegal exports.
Vietnam: Banned sales until June.
Cambodia: Imposed a two-month ban on exports on March 26.
India: Curbed exports of non-basmati rice.
Pakistan: Considering slapping a tax on exports to rein in inflation.
Egypt: Banned exports from April 1 to October.
Brazil: Temporarily halted exports for at least six months.
Sources: Reuters, International Rice Research Institute