Image courtesy of the USDA, Economic Research Service analysis of data accessed from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Broken rice, once viewed largely as a low-cost staple food, has become a growing factor in global feed markets as an alternative to corn and wheat.
According to the USDA report Growing Demand for Broken Rice for Feed and Food: The Implications for Global Trade (EIB-290), broken rice accounts for a steadily increasing share of global rice trade. From 1991 to 2021, the share of rice used for feed and industrial purposes nearly doubled, rising from 4.6% to 7.6%. By 2022, more than 10 million metric tons of broken rice moved through global trade channels.
Feed Demand Driving Imports
The use of broken rice in feed is largely determined by relative prices. In 2021 and 2022, Indian broken rice was priced well below competing feed grains, prompting a wave of imports. China emerged as the world’s top importer of broken rice during 2020-22, when high corn and wheat prices made rice an economical feed substitute. Imports tripled in that period, reaching 3.5 million metric tons in 2022. Much of that volume came from India, which offered competitively priced shipments. Feed mills blended broken rice into rations for swine and poultry during a period of volatile grain supplies and geopolitical disruptions.
When India imposed an export ban on broken rice in late 2022, global prices surged and China’s imports dropped sharply, returning to pre-2021 levels. The report notes that these swings illustrate the sensitivity of feed demand to relative grain prices.
Balancing Feed and Food Needs
While China drove short term demand spikes, West African nations remain the most consistent buyers of broken rice for direct food use. Countries such as Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana rely heavily on broken rice as a dietary staple, particularly for traditional dishes. Demand in these markets tends to be more inelastic, tied closely to population growth and urbanization.
The study found no evidence that China’s increased use of broken rice for feed in 2021–22 disrupted food supplies in Africa, but it is possible that price shifts and competing feed demand could raise future concerns for food security in import dependent regions.
Broken rice will likely remain a niche but vital segment of the global market, shaped by the tension between food security and feed demand. Continued monitoring is essential, especially given the uncertain trajectory of grain prices and the competing pressures from both livestock producers and low-income consumers. When grain markets tighten, broken rice stands ready as a flexible feed ingredient.
This article was sourced from the USDA Economic Research Service report, Growing demand for broken rice for feed and food: The implications for global trade, authored by Jessie Lin, Fred Gale, and Michael Johnson.