Process diagram: Rice production

The diagram illustrates the nine stages involved in growing and processing rice.

Overall, the process is linear and has two main parts. The first part takes place in the fields, where rice is grown and harvested, and the second takes place after the harvest, when the grain is dried, milled and packed. The paddies therefore remain under water for much of the process. The first four stages take place in the fields while the rice is growing, and the last five follow the harvest.

First, the paddies are ploughed and flooded. Young plants are then transplanted by hand, and the fields stay flooded for several months while the rice grows. Before the harvest, the water is released from the fields in a stage called draining.

After that, the mature plants are cut and gathered. During threshing, the grains are separated from the stalks.

In the final three stages, the grain is dried in the sun. The husks are then removed by milling, which produces white rice, and the rice is finally bagged for sale.