The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its first projections for major crops for the 2018/19 crop years today, and according to the report, total rice production is forecast at 217.8 million hundred-weight (cwt), up sharply from 178.2 million cwt a year earlier, based on a 17-percent increase in planted acreage to 2.88 million acres. Higher expected returns for rice at planting compared with alternative crops, primarily corn and soybeans, is responsible for the projected increase in rice area.
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