USA Rice released the annual U.S. Rice Domestic Usage Report today, tracking shipments and consumption of U.S. milled rice from August 2016 to July 2017. According to the report, U.S. rice mills shipped 119.8 million cwt of rice to domestic and foreign markets, an increase of 7 percent from one year earlier.
Gary Reifeiss, of Producers Rice Mill and chairman of the USA Rice Domestic Usage Report Subcommittee, shared his optimism about this report. "Total rice production increased by 16% this year, and rice imports have also decreased by 2.9 percent overall despite increased purchases from Thailand. The percentage of domestic rice in the U.S. market share remained strong at 81.4 percent."
Overall, the report captures 72.3 million cwt of rice shipped domestically, an increase of 6 percent over last year. Of that, 55 percent is for direct food use and 45 percent for processed foods like pet food, beer, saké, and snacks.
The report is free for USA Rice members who have participated in data collection. All others can go here to purchase a report for the reduced fee this year of $250 ($500 for non-members).