Top Rice News: Carbon Credit Deal And Cambodia’s Exports

Top rice news today Google’s major carbon credit deal with Indian climate-tech startup Mitti Labs to reduce methane emissions from rice farming. The agreement will support farmers adopting water-saving cultivation practices. At the same time, Cambodia’s rice exports to the US nearly tripled in the first eight months of 2026. Explore the latest developments in rice farming, carbon credits, methane emissions, global rice trade and Cambodia’s growing presence in international markets.

Google Signs Major Rice-Methane Deal With Indian Startup

According to reports, Google has agreed to purchase 1 million carbon credits from Indian climate-tech startup Mitti Labs through 2030, in what the companies say is the largest publicly announced deal to date for credits generated from cutting methane emissions in rice farming. Notably, the four-year agreement will cover rice farms in the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, reaching nearly 100,000 hectares at peak delivery, as told by Mitti Labs co-founder Xavier Laguarta in an interview. The project will pay farmers to adopt practices that reduce how long rice fields remain flooded, cutting methane released during cultivation along with reducing water use. Mitti Labs says the technique can cut methane emissions by around 50% and irrigation water use by about 40% without reducing crop yields. Moreover, the deal emerges as Google faces the challenge of reaching its goal of going net-zero emissions by 2030 amid investing heavily in artificial-intelligence infrastructure. Its greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 grew 18% year-over-year to about 14.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, per its environmental report (PDF) released in June.

Cambodia’s Rice Exports to the US Triple This Year. Here’s how?

According to the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), Cambodia’s rice exports to the United States nearly tripled in the first eight months of 2026, reaching close to 10,000 tonnes. Moreover, the federation attributed the increase to the quality and international reputation of Cambodian rice, which has won the World’s Best Rice award eight times.

CRF head Lay Chhun Hour stated that exports to the US are expected to rise further between September and December, potentially reaching four times last year’s level. Not only this, but the federation is also working to expand Cambodia’s presence in other international markets, including Europe, China and the Philippines. Generally, Cambodia exported 792,000 tonnes of rice worth more than $464 million to 66 destinations during the first eight months of 2026. This compares with 472,000 tonnes worth $348 million during the same period last year. In addition, Fragrant rice accounted for nearly 58% of Cambodian exports, followed by white rice and broken rice.