The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word LIBRETTIST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
L
I
B
R
E
T
T
I
S
T
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Rice, perhaps" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rice, perhaps = librettist.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does LIBRETTIST mean?
LIBRETTIST noun- The person who writes a libretto.