The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 10th that rice production this year is expected to decline by more than 30% compared to the previous year as drought continues in California and other western regions.<\/p>\n
According to USDA data, it was estimated that 285,000 acres (1,153 square kilometers) of cropland in California were planted for rice this year.<\/p>\n
This is a 30% decrease from last year and the lowest figure since the 1950s.<\/p>\n
Daniel Summer, a professor of agronomy at the University of California, said: “This year’s rice production in California is the steepest decline of any other crop.”<\/p>\n
California’s rice production accounts for one-fifth of all U.S. rice production.<\/p>\n
However, due to a decrease in rice production, exports are expected to fall by 16% and imports are expected to reach an all-time high.<\/p>\n
A decrease in the income of farmers became inevitable. California farmers grossed $1 billion in rice production last year.<\/p>\n
A series of businesses, including tractors, selling seeds and shipping or exporting crops, have been hit, as well as farmers, the WSJ reported.<\/p>\n
This year’s decline in rice production is due to the continued drought and reduced water supply for cultivation.<\/p>\n
Although California has suffered a series of droughts for the past 20 years, it has still provided water for rice production until last year.<\/p>\n
Because rice is the main crop, even if the amount of rain is small, it has priority over other crops in distributing the water stored by the state government.<\/p>\n
But last winter’s record drought also reduced the water supply for rice. The drought continues this year.<\/p>\n
Rice fields in Colusa County, north of Sacramento, have only received about 18% of the water they could get this year.<\/p>\n
The WSJ said the farmers are not too dependent on other crops because they want to produce rice again at any time.<\/p>\n
But experts say climate change is predicting that the drought will continue, or even get worse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"