Pasta, rice & dried food industry comprises companies that manufacture, produce and supply food products that are generally dried or dehydrated fruits, vegetables and soup mixes. The manufacturers also package the dehydrated food with other purchased ingredients, such as rice and dry pasta, breads, and rice as they are dietary staples globally. The pasta segment includes commercially produced brands of dry domestic and imported Italian pasta, as well as "fresh-dried" handmade dry pasta and refrigerated pasta that is moist rather than dry. Popular pasta shapes include flat noodles that are cut from sheets of pasta, such as fettuccine, linguine, and angel hair, and stuffed pastas such as ravioli and tortellini.

• Top 10 Pasta and Pasta Sauces Company in Europe

Most pasta is made of durum wheat, it may also be made from  buckwheat, whole wheat, blue corn, and few other ingredients. In the recent and the most explosive popularity of rice based cuisines has fueled interest in a number of rices that encompass a wide range of textures, tastes, shapes, and colors. There are reportedly more than 80,000 varieties of rice in the world; some of these varieties include, Arborio, Basmati, Bomba, Carnaroli, Jasmine, Red rice and Valencia rice.

2 . Pasta Rice and Dried Food Industry Current Trends

The global pasta market is expected to reach the volume of over 18 million tons by the end of 2015, according to Global Industry Analysts. The demand is fueled by the rising number of busy and smaller families that need faster cooked meal options and the pasta consumption is increasing due to the food's long shelf life, versatility and high nutritional content and easy to make appeal. The global instant noodle market is set to reach the volume of over 139 billion packs by the end of 2015 and this market's growth is fueled by the low cost, minimal cooking time convenience and product range, that comes in many flavors, colors and tastes.

Rice provides more than 20% of the calories consumed by people throughout the world, making it the leading grain in terms of nutrition and caloric intake. The pasta, rice and dried foods industry which was worth to be estimated to be approximately $5.1 billion in 2012 is growing at a much faster rate than anticipated. The rice and noodles are staple foods as well that have been gaining popularity since short time due to their long shelf life, shorter time consumption for preparation and easy adaptability.

3 . Major Pasta Rice and Dried Food Industry Players

Major players in the pasta, rice and dried foods industry include, Armanino Foods of Distinction, Strom Products, Fiori-Bruna Pasta Products, ConAgra Foods, Barilla, American Italian Pasta, Archer Daniels, Campbell Soup, Sbarro,Nissin Foods, AFP, Uni-President Enterprises, Tingyi, Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Acecook Vietnam, Ajinomoto, Nissin Food Products, Samyang Foods, Thai President Foods, Nong Shim, Nestlé India, PT Sentrafood Indonusa, Tat Hui Foods, Sco-Fro Foods, Hebei Hualong Food Group, New Dragon Asia and HJ Heinz.