Sep 16, 2021
AMMAN, JORDAN – This week, USA Rice, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Amman, hosted a seminar here for Jordanian rice traders. Representatives of the Jordanian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, the American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan, and the Jordan Chamber of Commerce participated in the event.
Session speakers included Nathan Childs, senior agricultural economist with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as Dr. Jarrod Hardke and Dr. Bruce Linquist, rice researchers from Arkansas and California respectively, who all participated via Zoom. Mark Holt, chair of the USA Rice Europe, Africa, Middle East Promotion and Trade Policy Subcommittee welcomed everyone to the seminar while USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward delivered closing remarks. The event included a lively and fruitful interaction between the traders in Amman and panelists from the U.S. through the Zoom platform.
“We hope to be helpful in navigating the ongoing worldwide shipping and food supply situation for the benefit of our Jordanian business partners and the Jordanian consumers, as well as U.S rice exporters,” said Holt. “We look forward to strengthening existing relationships and establishing new ones here.”
U.S.-origin rice has been present in the Jordanian market for more than 40 years and it is the largest single supplier of rice to the Hashemite Kingdom.
“As a Jordanian rice importer and a long-time supporter of U.S. rice on the Jordanian market, we really appreciate USA Rice organizing this seminar,” said Bassim Hamad, CEO of Intermarkets, owner of one of the major U.S. rice brands on the market. “We got to interact directly and learn firsthand about market dynamics and the U.S. supply situation, helping us further develop our businesses and ensure continued U.S. rice supply on the local market.”
Jordan is an important market for U.S. rice sales, with total sales averaging 80,000-90,000 MT annually in the past couple years.
“The U.S. rice industry is proud to supply one of Jordan’s most important staple foods to Jordanian consumers and we value the long-term relationships our industry has within the Jordanian marketplace,” said Betsy Ward, USA Rice President & CEO. “It was a great experience interacting directly with the local trade. They showed great interest in U.S. rice and asked a lot of good questions. We shared information on medium grain rice from California as well as the Southern states as a potential source of supply.”
USA Rice is committed to growing the Jordanian market through trade servicing and promotional activities on the ground, as well as on social media.