International Markets

Canada
Canada shares the world’s longest international border with the United States and is a top market for U.S. rice. Canada does not produce any rice. It grows wild rice, which is not a true rice, but the seed of an aquatic grass. The majority of rice on store shelves that is consumed in Canada is grown in the U.S. Essentially, U.S.-grown rice is as local as it gets for Canadians.
Central America
China
“Have you eaten rice yet?” is a common Chinese expression used as a way to say hello. Per capita rice consumption in China is estimated at 221 pounds per year, nearly 10 times U.S. per capita consumption and one of the highest in the world. China is the largest importer of rice, bringing in over 5 million tons annually. The U.S. rice industry has been working for over a decade to gain access to the Chinese market and while progress has been made, we are not yet to the finish line.
Colombia
Rice is a staple in Colombia whose 50 million people have a high domestic consumption level of more than 1.6 million tons per year. Traditional dishes such as Bandeja Paisa (white rice, red beans, ground beef, plantain, sausage, fried pork skin, corn patty, avocado, and a fried egg) can be found on the table year-round.
Cuba
Cuba is a small Caribbean island 93 miles south of Key West, Florida with a population of over 11 million. Once the number one export market for U.S. rice, exports evaporated when the U.S. imposed an embargo against Cuba. Given their large consumption of rice at 190 lbs per capita annually, Cuba remains a large consumer of rice and will be a top market for U.S. rice once again.
Ghana
Haiti
Haiti is a beautiful mountainous country that makes up the Western third of the island once known as Hispaniola, sharing a border with the Dominican Republic. Haitians prefer to eat rice on a daily basis, consuming about 115 lbs annually per capita.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong produces no rice yet eats nearly 100 pounds per capita annually and thus is dependent upon imports. Hong Kong is a truly open market (like the U.S.!) with no quantitative or qualitative restrictions and no tariffs on imported rice.
Iraq
Japan
Japan is the United States’ second largest milled rice export market in terms of volume and first in terms of value. Many rice farmers in California grow varieties such as Koshihikari, Akitakomachi or sweet rice specifically for the Japanese market though the majority of imports are Calrose. Japan has recently subsidized super premium quality rice and rice for feed use for domestic Japanese farmers, resulting in an insufficient supply of reasonably priced rice favored by the foodservice industry. This provides a large opportunity for imported rice, such as U.S. rice.
Jordan
Jordan is the largest single Arab market for U.S. medium grain rice exports and continues to be a growth market. Jordan is one of the four driest countries in the world, making the country heavily reliant on food imports including rice. Rice is a staple and the average yearly consumption is estimated at 53 lbs. per capita, yet the country produces no rice. The most popular national dish, mansaff, uses U.S. medium grain rice.
Mexico
Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. rice and has been for years. In 1994 they entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and the United States. Since then Mexico’s economy has grown exponentially. The country currently manages a $2.4 trillion economy, which is 11th largest in the world. Mexico’s population of nearly 125 million people is a critical component of U.S. trade.
Saudi Arabia
Rice is the main dish in Saudi Arabia and is usually served twice daily. Saudi Arabia is the Middle East’s second largest importer of long grain rice; they do not produce rice and thus depend entirely on imports. Rice is imported freely by private companies, with zero import duty and no import subsidies.
Singapore
South Korea
South Korea is a country of 51 million and is the second largest market for U.S. rice in Asia. Per capita consumption is estimated at 136 pounds per year but is declining. South Korea imported 152,000 MT of U.S. rice in 2017.
Taiwan
Taiwan has a population of 23.5 million and per capita rice consumption is estimated at 97.9 pounds per year. The U.S. is the largest rice supplier to Taiwan, accounting for about half of their imports. Taiwan has in recent years imported U.S. Calrose, Southern medium grain, long grain and glutinous rice from the U.S.
Turkey

Turkey grows rice; however, it is not enough to satisfy domestic demand which has been increasing over the past several years. Recently, there has been a good deal of uncertainty in the market due to the tense political and economic situation which has led to the rapid depreciation of the Turkish Lira against foreign currencies and an increase in interest rates.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is the single largest market for U.S. rice sales in the European Union, mostly importing U.S. long grain rice, as well as some medium grain rice for sushi. In 2017, the UK imported 678,000 MT of rice, with India being the largest single supplier, mostly Basmati rice. The USA is the eighth largest exporter with a 4 percent market share.
West Bank

Recent News

2023 Leadership Grad Matt Hendricks shakes hands with TX Rep Randy Weber in his Capitol Hill office surrounded by the TX rice delegation — Rep. Randy Weber welcomes Matt Hendricks and the Texas rice delegation to his office during the 2024 November Fly-In

Jan 10, 2025

By Matt Hendricks
Matt is from Houston, Texas. He is a graduate of Texas A&M and is the Texas rough rice buyer for Riviana Foods.

WASHINGTON, DC – On our previous sessions in the rice producing states, we saw the side of the rice business most of us are somewhat familiar with, namely, planting, harvesting, milling, and research. Our trip to Washington showed us a different but equally important part of the business -- advocacy.

The first day of our DC session began with visits at governmental agencies the rice industry interacts with on a regular basis. We stopped by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offices to hear from key members of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), who monitor foreign markets, U.S. exports, and other key trade data around the world; and the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) that is responsible for conducting surveys and publishing reports on all aspects of domestic agriculture. Both FAS and NASS contribute to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, or WASDE report, which provides key data used to evaluate the world rice market. It was a pleasure to meet in person those responsible for such reports and information, and to get a glimpse of how those reports come together.

Following our meeting with the government, we had lunch at the USA Rice headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and met with the USA Rice Staff to learn about their roles and responsibilities, and what their focus is when it comes to advocacy for our industry. We finished our meetings for the day at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices to hear about current projects and areas of focus that relate to rice production.

We capped off the day at the Anheuser-Busch offices, where we joined other USA
Rice members arriving for the USA Rice Fly-In to sample some of the great Anheuser products made with U.S.-grown rice.

Our trip to Washington was scheduled in coordination with the broader USA Rice Fly-In, wherein rice farmers, millers, and merchants travel to the nation’s capital to advocate for support for the industry from our elected officials. The two most important topics on this Fly-In agenda were getting a new Farm Bill passed, along with passing short-term economic relief for farmers.

We were privileged to have so many USA Rice members in attendance for our graduation ceremony scheduled at the front end of the Fly-In. Each of us new graduates then joined our respective state groups (therefore covering the six major rice-producing states) and set off to the Congressional offices to meet with Senators, Representatives, and their staffs.

Texas was well-represented by Linda and LG Raun, Daniel Berglund, Craig Guthman, Brian Center, Brian Ottis, myself, and our fearless leader/schedule coordinator, USA Rice Senior Manager of Government Affairs Shelby Young. Among others, we visited the offices of Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, as well as Texas Representatives Troy Nehls and Randy Weber. It was an interesting time to be on Capitol Hill, shortly after the November election, as we skirted around the array of furniture in the hallways as outgoing incumbents cleaned out their offices.

We ended the day at the Congressional Duck Stamp reception hosted by Ducks Unlimited, where Rep. GT Thompson (R-PA), chair of the House Agriculture Committee, whose version of the Farm Bill USA Rice is supporting, joined us and spoke out in support of the farmers.

We continued our advocacy efforts for the next couple of days including a meeting with Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, to hear an update on what to expect regarding the Farm Bill and farmer economic relief.

This leg of the trip was particularly special because we were privileged to spend so much time with industry members and witness the tireless advocacy work they have been doing for many years on behalf of the rice industry. We got a better picture of the challenge of advancing agricultural issues in Washington with so many competing interests, and especially gained a new appreciation for the USA Rice staff who live and work in Washington, advocating on behalf of the rice industry year-round.

We are grateful to our sponsors, ACC, John Deere, RiceTec, and Supreme Rice, who made this entire program possible, as well as those who hosted us at their farms, mills, homes, and offices over the past two years. And while we’re sad the program is over, we’re happy to have had the experiences we did, and to realize our responsibility to continue working with USA Rice, advocating for the industry, and continuing the legacy of the Rice Leadership Development Program.