*2.5. Rice*

Rice is the seed of the monocotyledonous flowering plants Oryza glaberrima (African rice) or Oryza sativa (Asian rice). It is the most consumed cereal by the human population in the world and is the basis of Asian cuisine. It is the staple food for about half of the world's population and is grown in almost every country in the world. It is the agricultural product with the highest world production (741.5 million tons recorded in 2014), after sugar cane (1.9 billion tons) and corn (1.0 billion tons). There are many varieties of rice, and culinary preferences tend to vary regionally.
