This book is about the introduction of modern power-driven rice milling to the main rice exporting countries of Burma (Myanmar), Siam (Thailand) and French Indo-China (Vietnam) from 1869. Rich in historical and empirical sources, the book draws extensively from the London Rice Brokers’ Association Circular archives, published monthly from 1869 to 2014, as well as numerical data gathered from historic trade and custom reports. It outlines how rice had been exported in the husk to be milled in Britain prior to 1869, after which mills were transferred to Asia and the rice shipped back having been milled. Rice processed in Asia is explained not only as a major saving in transport costs, but the marker of a crucial step in the industrialisation of Asia – namely through the introduction of modern mechanised value adding rice mills powered by steam engines. This is a reversal of the concept that the development of modern technology de-industrialised Asia, turning it into a supplier of raw materials. Later chapters address the inter-war years, when Chinese companies in particular took over the operation of mills and developed an Asia-wide market for rice milled in the great milling centers of Rangoon (Yangon), Bangkok and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh). Rice and Industrialisation in Asia will prove a valuable resource to students and scholars of economic history, postcolonial studies, and Asian studies more broadly.

To millions of people in the world, rice is the center of existence, especially in Asia, where more than 90 percent of the world's rice is grown. This book is about the trends and changes that have occurred in the Asian rice economy since World War II, but particularly since the introduction of new varieties of rice and modern technology in the mid-1960s. Although there is now a vast amount of literature and statistical data on various aspects of the subject, no single comprehensive treatment has previously been prepared. The Rice Economy of Asia not only provides such a treatment but also presents a clear picture of some of the critical issues dealing with productivity and equity --- as a glance at the table of contents will show. In addition to 18 chapters, there are an extensive bibilography, 150 tables, and 50 charts. The volume, as a whole, should be interesting and useful to decisionmakers at national and international levels, to professionals, and to students of development.

This appendix is a companion volume to the Rice Economy of Asia by Randolph Barker, Robert W. Herdt, with Beth Rose.

Originally published in 1985, Beth Rose’s Appendix to the Rice Economy of Asia provides twenty-six tables detailing various rice statistics across Asia from the beginning of the twentieth century through to the 1980’s. Statistics presented include; total crop area, rice production and yield, import and export, rice prices, farm wages and populations of countries or areas within Asia. This title will be of interest to students of Environmental Studies and Economics.

The contrast in the rate of growth between Western and Eastern societies since 1800 has caused Asian societies to be characterized as backward and resistant to change, though until 1600 or so certain Asian states were technologically far in advance of Europe. The Rice Economies, drawing on original source materials, examines patterns of technological and social evolution specific to East-Asian wet-rice economies in order to clarfiy some general historical trends in economic development. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1994. The contrast in the rate of growth between Western and Eastern societies since 1800 has caused Asian societies to be characterized as backward and resistant to change, though until 1600 or so certain Asian states were technologically far in advance of Eur