ISTANBUL, TURKEY - U.S.-grown rice enjoyed a high profile summer in Turkey this year thanks to USA Rice promotional activities, with quite tangible benefits.
Although domestic rice planting was up in Turkey this year, the U.S. still dominated imports. The first six months of 2015 saw 208,000 metric tons of rice enter Turkey, and the United States accounted for 34 percent of that with 71,500 metric tons, far outpacing the competition. The number two origin was India with only 35,600 metric tons.
Over the course of the summer, USA Rice worked with media contacts throughout Turkey generating 62 articles and recipes featuring U.S.-grown rice in July alone. Almost 2.4 million Turkish consumers were reached.
USA Rice also continued in-store promotions in the market, with 16 demonstrations at two hypermarkets here, reaching more than 10,000 consumers.