ARLINGTON, VA -- Yesterday USA Rice hosted a briefing by members of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) research team that conducted the yearlong study on the factors and policies affecting the global competitiveness of the U.S. rice industry. The study,
"Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry," is known as a Section 332 investigation and examined the rice industry in the U.S. and in major producing and exporting countries, such as China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Uruguay, and Brazil.
The study looked at the impact on the U.S. rice industry of exports from competitor countries to the U.S. and traditional U.S. markets like Mexico, Haiti, and West Africa and found that although the U.S. rice is high quality and enjoys favorable tariff treatment from markets such as Mexico and Central America, competition is on the rise.
"We used this is an opportunity for our Washington staff to get deeper into the specifics of the study," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "We're grateful the ITC experts were willing to provide their insight and interpretations, share anecdotes, and answer many questions from our staff."