Rice prices are measured at several points in the market, so a benchmark export quote, a producer’s farm price and a retail price are not interchangeable. The statistics below cover global projections and observed benchmarks, U.S. producer prices and marketings, and the supply, stock and trade measures used to interpret price direction.
Key Rice Price Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- World rice prices were forecast to rise 8% in 2024 compared with 2023 for the global benchmark.
- World rice prices were forecast to decline 8% in 2025 compared with 2024 for the global benchmark.
- Rice prices increased 4% quarter over quarter in 2024 Q1 for the World Bank rice benchmark.
- Thai and Vietnamese benchmark rice was specified at 5% broken in 2024, defining the export comparison.
- World rice prices were forecast to fall 11% in 2025 in the October 2024 global outlook.
- World rice prices were forecast to fall 2% in 2026 in that same global benchmark outlook.
- World 2024/25 rice production was projected at 532.7 million metric tons on a milled basis.
- U.S. all-rice producer price was $17.30 per cwt in August 2024/25.
- U.S. all-rice producer price was $14.60 per cwt in December 2024/25.
- U.S. all-rice marketings were 17,050 thousand cwt in December 2024/25.
- U.S. long-grain producer price was $13.90 per cwt in December 2024/25.
- The projected 2024/25 U.S. long-grain season-average farm price was $14.00 per cwt.
- The projected 2024/25 California medium-/short-grain season-average price was $22.50 per cwt.
- The projected 2024/25 U.S. medium-/short-grain season-average price was $20.70 per cwt.
- Projected 2024/25 U.S. long-grain ending stocks were 34.3 million cwt, 78% above the prior year.
- Projected 2024/25 U.S. medium-/short-grain ending stocks were 11.0 million cwt.
- Projected global 2024/25 rice supplies were 712.15 million metric tons.
- Projected global 2024/25 ending stocks were 181.6 million metric tons, 2.1 million tons above the prior year.
- The 2025 global rice trade forecast was 58.5 million metric tons, 1.24 million tons below 2024.
- Thailand regular milled-rice export quotes fell 10–11% month over month in February 2025.
Contents
- Global rice price benchmarks and recent direction
- U.S. all-rice farm prices and marketings
- U.S. long-grain rice price data
- Medium- and short-grain rice prices by market
- Rice price forecasts, supply and stocks
- How rice price statistics are defined
Global Rice Price Benchmarks and Recent Direction
The global figures are benchmark measures rather than household checkout prices. The World Bank’s April 2024 outlook forecast an 8% year-over-year increase for 2024 and an 8% decrease for 2025, while its October 2024 outlook forecast declines of 11% in 2025 and 2% in 2026.
These are forecasts from different outlook editions, not a single realized time series. They should therefore remain labeled by publication outlook and forecast period.
| Measure | Period | Result | Geography or definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice price change | 2024 Q1 | 4% quarter over quarter | World Bank rice benchmark |
| Forecast change | 2024 | +8% year over year | Global benchmark |
| Forecast change | 2025 | -8% year over year | Global benchmark, April 2024 outlook |
| Forecast change | 2025 | -11% | Global benchmark, October 2024 outlook |
| Forecast change | 2026 | -2% | Global benchmark, October 2024 outlook |
Source: Commodity Markets Outlook, April 2024 and Commodity Markets Outlook, October 2024.
The export benchmark specification also matters: Thai and Vietnamese benchmark rice was specified at 5% broken in 2024. In February 2025, Thailand regular milled-rice quotes fell 10–11% month over month, while Vietnam’s comparable quotes fell about 6%.
U.S. All-Rice Farm Prices and Marketings
USDA reports these farm prices in dollars per hundredweight, or cwt. They are producer-to-first-buyer prices, not retail prices, and the marketing figures are reported in thousand cwt.
| Marketing month | 2023/24 price | 2024/25 price | 2023/24 marketings | 2024/25 marketings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | $21.40/cwt | $17.30/cwt | 5,090 thousand cwt | 6,588 thousand cwt |
| September | $17.30/cwt | $15.40/cwt | 10,716 thousand cwt | 12,084 thousand cwt |
| October | $16.60/cwt | $14.70/cwt | 15,968 thousand cwt | 14,510 thousand cwt |
| November | $16.50/cwt | $14.80/cwt | 16,208 thousand cwt | 13,205 thousand cwt |
| December | $17.20/cwt | $14.60/cwt | 13,732 thousand cwt | 17,050 thousand cwt |
Source: Agricultural Prices (December 2025), pp. 30–31.
Across the listed months, the 2024/25 all-rice prices were below the corresponding 2023/24 observations, but the marketings pattern was mixed. December 2024/25 combined the listed period’s lowest 2024/25 price, $14.60/cwt, with its highest 2024/25 marketing volume, 17,050 thousand cwt.
The season-average measure gives a broader annual view: the 2023/24 U.S. all-rice farm price was revised to $17.30/cwt, while the 2024/25 season-average price was projected at $15.40/cwt. The latter is an estimate, not a final realized outcome.
U.S. Long-Grain Rice Price Data
Long-grain prices are a distinct producer measure within the U.S. market. The monthly observations show a lower 2024/25 price than the matching 2023/24 month throughout August–December.
| Marketing month | 2023/24 long-grain price | 2024/25 long-grain price |
|---|---|---|
| August | $16.40/cwt | $15.20/cwt |
| September | $15.60/cwt | $14.40/cwt |
| October | $15.20/cwt | $14.00/cwt |
| November | $15.30/cwt | $14.10/cwt |
| December | $15.60/cwt | $13.90/cwt |
Source: Agricultural Prices (December 2025), pp. 30–31.
The projected 2024/25 U.S. long-grain season-average farm price was $14.00/cwt. USDA also projected U.S. long-grain ending stocks at 34.3 million cwt, which was 78% above 2023/24; the stock estimate helps explain why price outlooks must be read alongside supply conditions rather than in isolation.
Medium- and Short-Grain Rice Prices by Market
Medium- and short-grain prices vary by market, especially between California and the broader U.S. category. The 2024/25 projections are season averages and are explicitly estimates.
| 2024/25 projected measure | Price | Geography |
|---|---|---|
| Medium-/short-grain season-average farm price | $22.50/cwt | California |
| Medium-/short-grain season-average farm price | $20.70/cwt | United States |
| Long-grain season-average farm price | $14.00/cwt | United States |
Source: Rice Outlook: February 2025, pp. 1 and 8–9.
California’s medium-/short-grain price was projected 20 cents per cwt above the prior year, while the U.S. medium-/short-grain price was projected 90 cents per cwt below the prior year. These comparisons describe different geographies and should not be treated as one national trend.
For the same 2024/25 season, medium-/short-grain ending stocks were projected at 11.0 million cwt for the United States. This is a stock measure, not a price, but it is relevant to interpreting the price projections.
Rice Price Forecasts, Supply and Stocks
The February 2025 USDA outlook projected world 2024/25 rice production at 532.7 million metric tons on a milled basis, 10.4 million tons above 2023/24. World 2024/25 supplies were projected at 712.15 million tons, while domestic and residual use was projected at 530.5 million tons.
| Global measure | Period | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Production, milled basis | 2024/25 | 532.7 million metric tons |
| Supplies | 2024/25 | 712.15 million metric tons |
| Domestic and residual use | 2024/25 | 530.5 million metric tons |
| Ending stocks | 2024/25 | 181.6 million metric tons |
| Ending-stock change | 2024/25 vs. 2023/24 | +2.1 million tons |
| Global trade | 2025 | 58.5 million metric tons |
| Trade change | 2025 vs. 2024 | -1.24 million tons |
Source: Rice Outlook: February 2025, pp. 1 and 8–9.
The 2025 global trade forecast was 58.5 million tons, 1.24 million tons below the prior year. These figures are projections or forecasts, so they should not be described as realized production, use, stock or trade outcomes.
How Rice Price Statistics Are Defined Across Markets
A useful rice price comparison begins by identifying what is being priced, who receives the price, and whether the number is observed or projected.
- A U.S. farm price is a producer-to-first-buyer measure in dollars per cwt; it is not a retail shelf price.
- A global benchmark or export quote represents a market reference and may specify product characteristics such as 5% broken rice.
- A season-average price summarizes a marketing year, while a monthly farm price identifies a particular marketing month.
- Marketings measure reported quantities sold or marketed in thousand cwt and are separate from the price per cwt.
- Estimates and forecasts, including the 2024/25 U.S. season-average prices and global supply figures, are prospective values rather than final realized outcomes.
The source periods and geographies also determine whether two observations can be compared. The USDA U.S. producer series, World Bank global benchmarks, and export quotes from Thailand or Vietnam answer different questions, even when all are described as rice prices.