Safety first with delegation from Turkey during rice mill tour
Oct 15, 2024
SACRAMENTO, CA – Last week, at the invitation of USA Rice, a delegation of five senior representatives of the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) and a representative from the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, toured rice country in the Sacramento Valley to get acquainted with the California rice production process from the field to the export vessel.
The group started their visit on Monday with a technical meeting with USA Rice staff and industry representatives, followed by a visit to USA Rice Asia Trade Policy Subcommittee Chair Michael Rue’s family operation. The group had the opportunity to see both harvest in action along with Rue’s drying facilities. Additionally, the program included rice mill visits to Farmers Rice Cooperative and Sun Valley Rice, and a stop at the California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs.
Transportation and shipping are crucial steps in the supply chain in today’s political and economic environment, and so the latter half of the week, the group visited the paddy loading facility in Stockton and the Port of Oakland to learn about all aspects of handling and shipping U.S. paddy and milled rice to Turkey.
While Turkey produces rice, domestic supply only covers about 70-75 percent of local rice needs and consequently imports are necessary to satisfy demand. The U.S. used to be a major supplier to Turkey, exporting more than 100,000-150,000 metric tons, however, those sales declined after Turkey introduced a 25 percent retaliatory tariff on all types and forms of U.S. rice in 2018 in response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminum. Unfortunately, that retaliatory tariff on rice, which also includes some tree nuts and distilled spirits, is still in place. The TMO is authorized by the Turkish government to import all types of rice at zero percent duty.
“It was so timely to have this esteemed delegation from Turkey visiting California rice country in the midst of harvesting another sizeable crop,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann who was on the tour. “As historically important customers for the U.S. rice industry, it has been a pleasure to re-establish the in-person relationship since the TMO’s last visit to the U.S. in 2019. We were proud to be able to showcase California’s production and underline the reliability of the U.S. as a consistent, high-quality rice supplier.”