USA Rice's Asiha Grigsby is hands on at the Agri-Corp mill in Tipitapa, Nicaragua
Aug 28, 2025
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA – USA Rice staff traveled here last week for a packed trade servicing mission, meeting with importers, retailers, and officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reinforce U.S. rice’s position in the market and encourage participation in the upcoming USA Rice Outlook Conference. Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice senior director of international promotion for the Western Hemisphere, organized the trip and also served as a judge in the Sabores con Arroz (Flavors of Rice) cooking competition (see story below).
The visit began with meetings with key trade counterparts, including AgriCorp and Samuel Mansell, which together account for more than 75 percent of rice imports to Nicaragua. USA Rice received a guided tour of AgriCorp’s Tipitapa mill—located an hour outside Managua—where leading brands Faisan and Doña María are processed.
On the retail front, USA Rice met with DINSA, a major distributor of household food staples that supplies outlets such as Walmart, La Colonia, and Hiper. Executives expressed appreciation for past in-store promotions and interest in connecting with U.S. suppliers to source rice for private-label products under development. La Colonia’s marketing director highlighted the success of the Think Rice campaign now running in stores, noting strong opportunities in ready-to-eat rice products and promotions in Nicaragua’s interior. Store visits to La Colonia and Portos further confirmed the campaign’s impact, with live promoters and in-store signage drawing consumer attention to U.S. rice.
Nicaragua produces nearly 70 percent of its rice domestically, relying on imports from the U.S. and South America for the remainder. Several importers voiced concerns about inconsistent quality and high levels of brokens in U.S. shipments, prompting some to seek South American suppliers. USA Rice responded with a U.S. crop update and assurances of ongoing industry efforts to improve consistency and quality. From January through July 2025, the U.S. exported just over 54,000 MT of rice to Nicaragua—a 39 percent drop from 89,000 MT during the same period in 2024.
“While concerns about quality remain a challenge, our partners here see real potential for U.S. rice to reclaim the market share it once held,” said Grigsby. “At the same time, strong retailer and distributor enthusiasm for promotions and new product formats shows U.S. rice is still highly valued in Nicaragua.”
Throughout the mission, USA Rice extended informal invitations to the 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was met with enthusiasm from Nicaraguan trade partners eager to reconnect with U.S. suppliers.