HUIZHOU, CHINA – USA Rice hosted a seminar last month with the Guangdong Provincial Association of Grain Sector (GPAGS) to establish relationships with rice traders from Huizhou, Dongguan, and Shenzhen.
Founded more than 20 years ago, GPAGS is a non-profit organization at the provincial level with more than 230 members from key enterprises in grains and the edible oil industry that represents both state-owned and privately-held Chinese companies as well as enterprises based in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other countries.
“Our main purpose was to build awareness of the high quality of U.S. rice, its safety, and reliable supply, and to gauge interest on the prospect of U.S. rice trade in China,” said Jim Guinn, USA Rice director of Asia promotion programs. “We showcased a pre-recorded presentation by U.S. Department of Agriculture Economist Dr. Nathan Childs on 2022/23 global rice production and use projections, and provided an overview of the U.S. rice industry along with research findings profiling Chinese rice consumers. We also showed the popular
USA Rice Farm and Mill Tour video that details the U.S. industry’s commitment to sustainability and protection of the environment.”
After the seminar, several merchants invited USA Rice to meetings with their companies so that they could learn more about U.S. rice.
“Naturally, what the attendees cared about most was the price of U.S. rice,” said Guinn. “That and the taste – a feature closely linked to price in China. Since few people here have visited American farms or tasted U.S. rice, they are very interested in importing unique U.S. varieties to China, such as red rice, black rice, and glutinous rice.”
Access to China for U.S. rice has been severely restricted by the geopolitical situation and ongoing rancor between the two countries. There have been three small shipments of US. rice in recent years, one from California and two from Arkansas.