WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — Rice planting is below the five-year average by 19 percentage points for the six rice-growing states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report issued on May 9, the USA Rice Federation said.

Louisiana is the only state where the percentage of the crop planted is higher than the five-year average. The percentage of rice emerged is 12 percentage points lower than the five-year average.