Segmental disruptions in rice value chains during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and policy implications in Asia
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Published
May 5, 2026
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Clinsy Ann Angel J. Abapo
Loraine M. Ortega
Erika Mae S. Cabucos
Sheen Lee L. Balaba
Rosell R. Navaja
Jake Joshua C. Garces
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic affected several elements of the rice industry. Many rice value chains (RVCs) were harmed by preventative measures, threatening food security worldwide. This systematic review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Asian RVCs. Harzing's Publish or Perish program was used to include peer-reviewed journals from 2020–2022 indexed in Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Clarivate Analytics. The upstream segment was the least affected, mainly because farmers stored agricultural inputs in preparation for lockdowns. However, domestic and household workers replaced migratory labor, reducing the availability of agricultural and production labor. In Myanmar, this labor shift contributed to a 28% reduction in overall rice production during the pandemic. The midstream segment, being the most affected, had to operate with fewer resources and longer shifts for post-harvest activities, resulting in disrupted transportation and distribution. For example, in Indonesia, logistical delays in Jakarta were 35% higher compared to Semarang, significantly impacting rice delivery times. This disruption affected the final component of the RVC, where rice scarcity in a state increases retail prices, while abundance lowers them. Retail rice prices in scarcity-affected regions rose by an average of 22%, while surplus areas experienced price drops of up to 18%, forcing farmers to consume unsold crops or sell them at low prices. Governments and farmers should collaborate on strategic planning and response, farmer support, and harvest-to-market operations to maintain market flow.
How to Cite
Abapo, C. A. A. J., Ortega, L. M., Cabucos, E. M. S., Balaba, S. L. L., Navaja, R. R., & Garces, J. J. C. (2026). Segmental disruptions in rice value chains during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and policy implications in Asia. The Palawan Scientist, 18(1), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2026.18.1.17
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Keywords
COVID-19, food security, midstream segment, systematic review, upstream segment, value chain disruptions
References
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APFC (Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada). 2021. COVID 19 pandemic implications on agriculture and food trade in ASEAN. Vancouver (Canada): Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
Arouna A, Soullier G, Del Villar PM, Demont M. 2020. Policy options for mitigating impacts of COVID 19 on domestic rice value chains and food security in West Africa. Global Food Security. 26:100405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100405
Belton B, Rosen L, Middleton L, Ghazali S, Mamun AA, Shieh J, Thilsted SH. 2021. COVID 19 impacts and adaptations in Asia and Africa’s aquatic food value chains. Marine Policy. 129:104523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104523
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Jamal MR. 2021. A perspective Big Boro rice harvest during COVID 19 pandemic: an optimism for resilient rice system in Bangladesh. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research. 28(1):2350–2354. https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.280121.285
Kim K, Kim S, Park C-Y. 2020. Food Security in Asia and the Pacific amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Asian Development Bank. [accessed 2026 Mar 26]. https://www.adb.org/publications/food-security-asia-pacific-covid-19.
Laurent R, Soullier G, Le Coq JF, Milhorance C. 2025. Agricultural value chain transformations: a comparative analysis of milling segment upgrading in the rice value chains in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Journal of Rural Studies. 114:103570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103570
Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gøtzsche PC, Ioannidis JPA, Moher D. 2009. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration. BMJ (British Medical Journal). 339:b2700. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2700
Mobarok MH, Thompson W, Skevas T. 2021. COVID 19 and policy impacts on the Bangladesh rice market and food security. Sustainability. 13(11):5981. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115981
Nasir MA, Jamhari, Mulyo JH. 2021. The implications of the COVID 19 pandemic on rice market performance in Java, Indonesia. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Vol. 637. Bristol (UK): IOP Publishing. p. 012049. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/637/1/012049
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Olviana T, Nendissa DR, Pellokila MR, Lerik MDC, Khoiriyah N. 2022. Vertical market integration and behavioral variations of medium quality rice prices before and during COVID 19. Journal of Urban Development and Management. 1(1):58–66. https://doi.org/10.56578/judm010107
Pandey PR, Bhandari H. 2018. Rice technological innovation and value chain development in South Asia. Dhaka (Bangladesh): SAARC Agriculture Centre. p. 165.
Papademetriou MK, Dent FJ, Herath EM. 2000. Rice production in the Asia Pacific region: issues and perspectives. In: Bridging the rice yield gap in the Asia Pacific region. Bangkok (Thailand): Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 4–25. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/8cd64984-9734-4315-b44e-ac299acbd248/content
Panpakdee C, Palinthorn F. 2021. Does the COVID 19 pandemic affect social ecological resilience of organic rice production system in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand? Forest and Society. 5(2):209–223. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i2.10642
Roser M, Ritchie H. 2019. Hunger and undernourishment. Our World in Data. Available from: https://ourworldindata.org
Sabur A, Qomariah R, Mailena L. 2021. Marketing analysis of “Siam” local rice in South Kalimantan during the pandemic of COVID 19. In: E3S Web of Conferences. Vol. 306. Les Ulis (France): EDP Sciences. p. 02017. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202130602017
San Juan DMM. 2021. A review of rice tariffication in the time of COVID 19: rationale and road to rice self sufficiency in the Philippines. Asia Pacific Social Science Review. 21(4):50-71. https://doi.org/10.59588/2350-8329.1404
Sanusi MS, Mayokun OM, Sunmonu MO, Yerima S, Mobolaji D, Olaoye JO. 2025. Transformative trends: commercial platforms revolutionizing rice farming in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. 23(1):2473757. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2025.2473757
Shirsath PB, Jat ML, McDonald AJ, Srivastava AK, Craufurd P, Rana DS, Braun H. 2020. Agricultural labor, COVID 19, and potential implications for food security and air quality in the breadbasket of India. Agricultural Systems. 185:102954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102954
Songsang J, Suthiwartnarueput K. 2021. Effect of COVID 19 on logistics of Thai rice export. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review. 4(10):1406-1414 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/V4-i10-22
Suebpongsang P, Ekasingh B, Cramb R. 2020. Commercialisation of rice farming in northeast Thailand. In: Cramb R, editor. White gold: the commercialisation of rice farming in the Lower Mekong Basin. Singapore: Springer Nature. p. 39–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0998-8_2
Sunandar N, Sirnawati E, Ramdhani M. 2021. Increasing rice production: a proposed strategy during and after COVID 19 pandemic. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Vol. 803. Bristol (UK): IOP Publishing. p. 012049. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/803/1/012049
Wardie J, Sintha TYE. 2018. The sustainability level of rice farming in the peatland at the Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan. Journal of Socioeconomics and Development. 1(1):38-42. https://doi.org/10.31328/jsed.v1i1.531
Wilson RT, Lewis I. 2015. The rice value chain in Tanzania. Rome (Italy): Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 84– 93. Available from: https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ivc/PDF/SFVC/Tanzania_rice.pdf
WHO (World Health Organization). 2021. UN report: pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger. Geneva (Switzerland): WHO.
WHO (World Health Organization). n.d. Coronavirus disease (COVID 19). Geneva (Switzerland): WHO. [cited 2025 Aug 18]. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Zahrah DS, Arkeman Y, Indrawan D. 2021. Traceability system model rice supply chain during the COVID 19 pandemic. International Journal of Research and Review. 8(3):247–259.
Aldillah R, Agustian A, Darwis V, Muslim C. 2018. The effect of labor utilization and rice farming income due to COVID 19 in Kendal Regency. Socio Economy and Policy Studies. 1(1):13–16. http://doi.org/10.26480/seps.01.2021.13.16
APFC (Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada). 2021. COVID 19 pandemic implications on agriculture and food trade in ASEAN. Vancouver (Canada): Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
Arouna A, Soullier G, Del Villar PM, Demont M. 2020. Policy options for mitigating impacts of COVID 19 on domestic rice value chains and food security in West Africa. Global Food Security. 26:100405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100405
Belton B, Rosen L, Middleton L, Ghazali S, Mamun AA, Shieh J, Thilsted SH. 2021. COVID 19 impacts and adaptations in Asia and Africa’s aquatic food value chains. Marine Policy. 129:104523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104523
Bhattarai M, Singh GG, Takeshima H, Shekhawat RS. 2018. Farm machinery use and agricultural industries in India: status, evolution, implications and lessons learned. Washington (DC): International Food Policy Research Institute. p. 59.
Bhandari H, Balié J, Pede V, Meah N. 2020. Impact of COVID 19 on the rice value chain (RVC) in Asia. Los Baños (Philippines): International Rice Research Institute.
Borras SM Jr, Thu A, Ra D, Franco JC, Ju K, Oo K. 2017. Myanmar’s cross border migrant workers and the COVID 19 pandemic: their life stories and the social structures shaping them. Rotterdam (Netherlands): International Institute of Social Studies. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/131781
CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research). 2020. Policy brief: impact of COVID 19 on the rice value chain (RVC) in Asia. Montpellier (France): CGIAR.
Erlina Y, Elbaar EF. 2021. Impact COVID 19 pandemic on local rice supply chain flow patterns in Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics. 18:941–948. https://doi.org/10.37394/23207.2021.18.89
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2019. Country fact sheet on food and agriculture policy trends: Thailand. Rome (Italy): FAO. [accessed 2025 Dec 13]. Available from: http://www.fao.org/3/I8683EN/i8683en.pdf
Fitriana L, Susanto S, Ngadisih, Setyawan C, Tirtalistyani R. 2021. The impact of COVID 19 pandemic on food sufficiency in Bantul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Vol. 653. Bristol (UK): IOP Publishing. p. 012140. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/653/1/012140
Goeb J, Zone PP, Synt NLK, Cho A, Tang Y. 2020. Monitoring the impact of COVID 19 in Myanmar: rice millers—September 2020 survey round. Vol. 37. Washington (DC): International Food Policy Research Institute.
Goeb J, Zone PP, Kham Synt NL, Zu AM, Tang Y, Minten B. 2022. Food prices, processing, and shocks: evidence from rice and COVID 19. Journal of Agricultural Economics. 73(2):338–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12461
Goswami R, Roy K, Dutta S, Ray K, Sarkar S, Brahmachari K, Majumdar K. 2021. Multi faceted impact and outcome of COVID 19 on smallholder agricultural systems: integrating qualitative research and fuzzy cognitive mapping to explore resilient strategies. Agricultural Systems. 189:103051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103051
Gulati A, Juneja R. 2020. Farm mechanization in Indian agriculture with focus on tractors. ZEF Discussion Papers on Development Policy No. 297. Bonn (Germany): Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung. Available from: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/229975/1/zef-dp-297.pdf
ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives). 2020. COVID 19: focus on cities and transport responses – Southeast Asia. Bonn (Germany): ICLEI Sustainable Mobility.
ILO (International Labour Organization). 2021. International Labour Organization. Geneva (Switzerland): ILO. Available from: https://www.ilo.org
International Peatland Society. 2020. Indonesia planning new mega rice project. Available from: https://peatlands.org/is-indonesia-heading-for-another-mega-rice-project-disaster/
Jamal MR. 2021. A perspective Big Boro rice harvest during COVID 19 pandemic: an optimism for resilient rice system in Bangladesh. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research. 28(1):2350–2354. https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.280121.285
Kim K, Kim S, Park C-Y. 2020. Food Security in Asia and the Pacific amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Asian Development Bank. [accessed 2026 Mar 26]. https://www.adb.org/publications/food-security-asia-pacific-covid-19.
Laurent R, Soullier G, Le Coq JF, Milhorance C. 2025. Agricultural value chain transformations: a comparative analysis of milling segment upgrading in the rice value chains in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Journal of Rural Studies. 114:103570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103570
Liberati A, Altman DG, Tetzlaff J, Mulrow C, Gøtzsche PC, Ioannidis JPA, Moher D. 2009. The PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews and meta analyses of studies that evaluate healthcare interventions: explanation and elaboration. BMJ (British Medical Journal). 339:b2700. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b2700
Mobarok MH, Thompson W, Skevas T. 2021. COVID 19 and policy impacts on the Bangladesh rice market and food security. Sustainability. 13(11):5981. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115981
Nasir MA, Jamhari, Mulyo JH. 2021. The implications of the COVID 19 pandemic on rice market performance in Java, Indonesia. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Vol. 637. Bristol (UK): IOP Publishing. p. 012049. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/637/1/012049
National Food Security Mission. 2016. A status note on rice in India. New Delhi (India): Government of India.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development). 2020. Food supply chains and COVID 19: impacts and policy lessons. Paris (France): OECD.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development). 2020. Education at a glance 2020: OECD indicators. Paris (France): OECD. [accessed 2025 Dec 13]. Available from: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2020/09/education-at-a-glance-2020_19b01e87.html
Olviana T, Nendissa DR, Pellokila MR, Lerik MDC, Khoiriyah N. 2022. Vertical market integration and behavioral variations of medium quality rice prices before and during COVID 19. Journal of Urban Development and Management. 1(1):58–66. https://doi.org/10.56578/judm010107
Pandey PR, Bhandari H. 2018. Rice technological innovation and value chain development in South Asia. Dhaka (Bangladesh): SAARC Agriculture Centre. p. 165.
Papademetriou MK, Dent FJ, Herath EM. 2000. Rice production in the Asia Pacific region: issues and perspectives. In: Bridging the rice yield gap in the Asia Pacific region. Bangkok (Thailand): Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 4–25. https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/8cd64984-9734-4315-b44e-ac299acbd248/content
Panpakdee C, Palinthorn F. 2021. Does the COVID 19 pandemic affect social ecological resilience of organic rice production system in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand? Forest and Society. 5(2):209–223. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i2.10642
Roser M, Ritchie H. 2019. Hunger and undernourishment. Our World in Data. Available from: https://ourworldindata.org
Sabur A, Qomariah R, Mailena L. 2021. Marketing analysis of “Siam” local rice in South Kalimantan during the pandemic of COVID 19. In: E3S Web of Conferences. Vol. 306. Les Ulis (France): EDP Sciences. p. 02017. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202130602017
San Juan DMM. 2021. A review of rice tariffication in the time of COVID 19: rationale and road to rice self sufficiency in the Philippines. Asia Pacific Social Science Review. 21(4):50-71. https://doi.org/10.59588/2350-8329.1404
Sanusi MS, Mayokun OM, Sunmonu MO, Yerima S, Mobolaji D, Olaoye JO. 2025. Transformative trends: commercial platforms revolutionizing rice farming in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. 23(1):2473757. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2025.2473757
Shirsath PB, Jat ML, McDonald AJ, Srivastava AK, Craufurd P, Rana DS, Braun H. 2020. Agricultural labor, COVID 19, and potential implications for food security and air quality in the breadbasket of India. Agricultural Systems. 185:102954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102954
Songsang J, Suthiwartnarueput K. 2021. Effect of COVID 19 on logistics of Thai rice export. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review. 4(10):1406-1414 https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/V4-i10-22
Suebpongsang P, Ekasingh B, Cramb R. 2020. Commercialisation of rice farming in northeast Thailand. In: Cramb R, editor. White gold: the commercialisation of rice farming in the Lower Mekong Basin. Singapore: Springer Nature. p. 39–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0998-8_2
Sunandar N, Sirnawati E, Ramdhani M. 2021. Increasing rice production: a proposed strategy during and after COVID 19 pandemic. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Vol. 803. Bristol (UK): IOP Publishing. p. 012049. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/803/1/012049
Wardie J, Sintha TYE. 2018. The sustainability level of rice farming in the peatland at the Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan. Journal of Socioeconomics and Development. 1(1):38-42. https://doi.org/10.31328/jsed.v1i1.531
Wilson RT, Lewis I. 2015. The rice value chain in Tanzania. Rome (Italy): Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 84– 93. Available from: https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ivc/PDF/SFVC/Tanzania_rice.pdf
WHO (World Health Organization). 2021. UN report: pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger. Geneva (Switzerland): WHO.
WHO (World Health Organization). n.d. Coronavirus disease (COVID 19). Geneva (Switzerland): WHO. [cited 2025 Aug 18]. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Zahrah DS, Arkeman Y, Indrawan D. 2021. Traceability system model rice supply chain during the COVID 19 pandemic. International Journal of Research and Review. 8(3):247–259.
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