東亞地區每年稻穀產量：大陸地區1億9千萬公噸，約佔世界稻總玅量的33.6％；日本12百萬公噸；韓6.4 百萬公噸；臺灣2百萬公噸，在東亞地區稻米市場，僅佔1％。每公斤稻米生產成本：大陸地區4.2元、美國8.6元、阿根廷5.3元、泰國2.5元、臺灣13.2元，大陸比泰國高，但比阿根廷、美國及臺灣低。2000年大陸一般米乃具有相當強之競爭力。泰國米生產成本雖低於大陸，但遊國香米，具有特色，價格比大陸米高2∼3;路，仍能在大陸佔一度之地。臺灣一級米並不比泰國米差，目前泰國香米在北京零襜市場每公斤售價達39元，已高於臺灣的小包裝米。大陸地區經濟發展結果，幣值上升，工資亦會提高，稻米產業之競爭力將會下降，因此臺灣除發展具有特色之優質米外，亦應擴大經營規模，降低成本，如此臺灣稻米在大陸市場或有一席之地。將來自?貿易後，關稅降低，大陸頂級良質米在臺灣每公斤售價，將只有30元，具有很強的競爭力。此外大陸稻米研究能力不差，且稻米產銷集團公司亦日漸茁壯發展，稻米從生產、加工、品質管制及推銷，均由一個公司推動，這是我們應注意的地方。

　　　　　tHE east Asia countries' unhulled rice production each year is:190 billion tons in China, which is approximately 33.6% of all production in the world: 12 million tons in Japan; 6.4 million tons in Korea; 2 million tons in Taiwan, which is only 1% of all production in the East Asian Area. The production cost per kilogram of rice is: NT2.5 in Thailand, NT4.2 in China, NT5.3 in Argentina, NT8.6 in the United States, and NT13.2 in Taiwan. Clearly, the cost is greater in China than in Thailand, but less than in Argentina, the United States and Taiwan. In 2000, China exported 2,950 thousand tons of rice to 51 countries and imported 238 thousand tons. This statistic shows the strong competition of China's normal quality rice. Although the production cost of rice in Thailand is less than in China, its selling price is two to three times as much as China's rice; yet due to their special characteristics, Thailand rice has its own unique market share in china. In comparison, the first grade Taiwan Rice is about the same quality level as Thailand Rice. However, the current price of Thailand Rice in retail market in Beijing in NT39 per kilogram, which is higher than the small package Taiwan rice. As China's economic process is growing, the currency value of the Chinese Yuan and the wages in China will both rise, resulting its competitive advantage in rice gradually declining. Therefore, besides developing rice with its own characteristics, we should expand our scale in rice production to decrease the production cost, and then we might have our own unique market share in China. After free trade, rice tariff will forced to decrease. The highest quality rice from China will only cost NT30 per kilogram in Taiwan, which is extremely competitive. Other than cost advantages, China has high research and development ability in rice production improvement, and major rice production and selling corporations and major rice production and selling corporations are maturing. These corporations are in charged of the rice in all process: from production, quality controlling to selling. That is a critical point we should be aware of.