USA Rice Touts Reliable, High-Quality Supply Chain to African Markets

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO – Earlier this week, USA Rice hosted a supply chain seminar here for 60 importers and millers from Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. 

After welcoming remarks from USA Rice COO Sarah Moran and U.S Consul General Marissa Scott, Rachid Benali, president of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), kicked off the seminar with a discussion on the young, dynamic population of Morocco and how the country is a gateway to Africa. 

Dr. Deacue Fields, from the University of Arkansas, and Todd Burich, vice-president of rice marketing with ADM and vice-chair of the USA Rice Miller’s Association, gave updates on the U.S. rice crop as well as noting the positive attributes of U.S. rice. LixCap, an economic development consultancy firm based in Morocco, then provided an overview of key concepts of trade finance, available financial credit programs, and ways to mitigate risk to improve the ability to make sales.  Finally, Mike Steenhoek from the Soy Export Coalition, discussed the reliable, dependable U.S. supply chain and some of the steps involved for international grain logistics.
 
Following the seminar and a lunch featuring dishes made with U.S. rice, seven USA Rice members who attended the seminar participated in business-to-business (B2B) meetings to further develop the market here. 
 
“The enthusiasm among the attendees was palpable from the numerous questions that were asked during the seminar to the hum of business negotiations during the B2Bs,” said Eszter Somogyi, USA Rice director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, who organized the event.  “The U.S. used to have strong export markets in this region but due to low pricing from Asia, these markets have shrunk.  We are, however, seeing a strong interest in high-quality, consistent rice supply from the U.S. with our strong food safety standards and no export bans.”
 
The U.S. exports approximately 100,000 MT ($60-$70 million) of rice to Africa annually, with the largest markets being Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.