It is possible the rice production in the prefecture will be permanently wiped out.

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In response to the public uproar, health officials in Hunan, the Chinese province that produces the most rice, announced on Tuesday the three local rice mills implicated in the sale of the tainted rice had been ordered to suspend production.

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More dry-season water will greatly increase the production of rice and other crops.

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At the Rice Research Institute in Gilan, I met Mr Rezai, an irrigation engineer who believes it is essential to look at the wider picture if the rice farmers are to sustain production.

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Additionally, Thailand, at the basic end of production--it is the world's largest rice exporter, for example--has to watch the emergence of low-wage Vietnam as a "China plus one" world supply source.

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Compared with other crops, rice production is less efficient in the way it uses water.

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Elsewhere, though, aquaculture has probably contributed to the loss of less than 10% of the world's mangroves: the rest is due to causes such as rice production, grazing, urban development and tourism.

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Bandar said much the same thing on April 1, after he met with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice at the White House amid concerns that OPEC production cuts might further push up the price of oil, with U.S. gas prices already at record levels.

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The combination of plentiful monsoon rains and high minimum purchase prices for wheat and rice means the country is forecasting an all-time-high grain production of 250.42 million tons in the crop year ending June 30.

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