AUSTIN, TX – USA Rice closed out another successful Outlook Conference here last week with top-notch speakers and informative breakout sessions that covered many important topics facing the U.S. rice industry. Among the featured programming was the third U.S. Rice Quality Symposium, which has become an annual fixture of the Outlook Conference.
The session featured seven breeders from the public universities and the private sector showcasing 23 U.S. rice varieties currently in development and in production. Live cooking demonstrations and taste tests added to the hands-on experience and gave participants a glimpse of what the U.S. rice industry has in store for future production. One-page fact sheets listing key rice characteristics were distributed along with beautifully packaged samples of the featured varieties.
“Although the symposium welcomed all participants at the conference, it was designed to highlight U.S. rice varieties imbued with characteristics preferred by Latin American consumers,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice director of international promotion for the Western Hemisphere. “This event brought together rice industry professionals hailing from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean to demonstrate that the U.S. rice industry is acting to address their concerns and provide products that suit their needs.”
Attendees also participated in business-to-business (B2B) meetings with U.S. rice producers, exporters, and logistics professionals.
“Face-to-face interaction is an essential element to the export model of our industry,” said Grigsby. “The B2B meetings and the U.S. Rice Quality Symposium provide unique ways to facilitate these customer-supplier interactions.”
If you attended the U.S. Rice Quality Symposium, please take a short eight-question
survey to provide feedback for the planning of next year’s event.