International Markets

Canada
Canada shares the world’s longest international border with the United States and is a top market for U.S. rice. Canada does not produce any rice. It grows wild rice, which is not a true rice, but the seed of an aquatic grass. The majority of rice on store shelves that is consumed in Canada is grown in the U.S. Essentially, U.S.-grown rice is as local as it gets for Canadians.
Central America
China
“Have you eaten rice yet?” is a common Chinese expression used as a way to say hello. Per capita rice consumption in China is estimated at 221 pounds per year, nearly 10 times U.S. per capita consumption and one of the highest in the world. China is the largest importer of rice, bringing in over 5 million tons annually. The U.S. rice industry has been working for over a decade to gain access to the Chinese market and while progress has been made, we are not yet to the finish line.
Colombia
Rice is a staple in Colombia whose 50 million people have a high domestic consumption level of more than 1.6 million tons per year. Traditional dishes such as Bandeja Paisa (white rice, red beans, ground beef, plantain, sausage, fried pork skin, corn patty, avocado, and a fried egg) can be found on the table year-round.
Cuba
Cuba is a small Caribbean island 93 miles south of Key West, Florida with a population of over 11 million. Once the number one export market for U.S. rice, exports evaporated when the U.S. imposed an embargo against Cuba. Given their large consumption of rice at 190 lbs per capita annually, Cuba remains a large consumer of rice and will be a top market for U.S. rice once again.
Ghana
Haiti
Haiti is a beautiful mountainous country that makes up the Western third of the island once known as Hispaniola, sharing a border with the Dominican Republic. Haitians prefer to eat rice on a daily basis, consuming about 115 lbs annually per capita.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong produces no rice yet eats nearly 100 pounds per capita annually and thus is dependent upon imports. Hong Kong is a truly open market (like the U.S.!) with no quantitative or qualitative restrictions and no tariffs on imported rice.
Iraq
Japan
Japan is the United States’ second largest milled rice export market in terms of volume and first in terms of value. Many rice farmers in California grow varieties such as Koshihikari, Akitakomachi or sweet rice specifically for the Japanese market though the majority of imports are Calrose. Japan has recently subsidized super premium quality rice and rice for feed use for domestic Japanese farmers, resulting in an insufficient supply of reasonably priced rice favored by the foodservice industry. This provides a large opportunity for imported rice, such as U.S. rice.
Jordan
Jordan is the largest single Arab market for U.S. medium grain rice exports and continues to be a growth market. Jordan is one of the four driest countries in the world, making the country heavily reliant on food imports including rice. Rice is a staple and the average yearly consumption is estimated at 53 lbs. per capita, yet the country produces no rice. The most popular national dish, mansaff, uses U.S. medium grain rice.
Mexico
Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. rice and has been for years. In 1994 they entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and the United States. Since then Mexico’s economy has grown exponentially. The country currently manages a $2.4 trillion economy, which is 11th largest in the world. Mexico’s population of nearly 125 million people is a critical component of U.S. trade.
Saudi Arabia
Rice is the main dish in Saudi Arabia and is usually served twice daily. Saudi Arabia is the Middle East’s second largest importer of long grain rice; they do not produce rice and thus depend entirely on imports. Rice is imported freely by private companies, with zero import duty and no import subsidies.
Singapore
South Korea
South Korea is a country of 51 million and is the second largest market for U.S. rice in Asia. Per capita consumption is estimated at 136 pounds per year but is declining. South Korea imported 152,000 MT of U.S. rice in 2017.
Taiwan
Taiwan has a population of 23.5 million and per capita rice consumption is estimated at 97.9 pounds per year. The U.S. is the largest rice supplier to Taiwan, accounting for about half of their imports. Taiwan has in recent years imported U.S. Calrose, Southern medium grain, long grain and glutinous rice from the U.S.
Turkey

Turkey grows rice; however, it is not enough to satisfy domestic demand which has been increasing over the past several years. Recently, there has been a good deal of uncertainty in the market due to the tense political and economic situation which has led to the rapid depreciation of the Turkish Lira against foreign currencies and an increase in interest rates.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is the single largest market for U.S. rice sales in the European Union, mostly importing U.S. long grain rice, as well as some medium grain rice for sushi. In 2017, the UK imported 678,000 MT of rice, with India being the largest single supplier, mostly Basmati rice. The USA is the eighth largest exporter with a 4 percent market share.
West Bank

Recent News

Session-I-of-the-2025-Rice-Leadership-Development-Program-Visited-the-Gulf-Coast-3 — Close-up look at ag pilots and their equipment

Apr 18, 2025

Special to USA Rice By Max Alves

TEXAS & LOUISIANA – As a rice farmer from California, it was a privilege to tour in one of the most dynamic and innovative rice-producing regions in the world, exploring the rice industries in Texas and Louisiana to see how our partners in the south approach rice farming, milling and trade. It gave me valuable insights into the similarities, differences, and challenges we all face in this industry.

One of the key things that stuck with me as Pamela West with Texas Rice Milling and Brookshire Drying Company shared the history of the Texas rice industry in Katy was how the land between Houston and Katy, which used to be prime rice-growing area, had been developed into urban areas in less than 25 years. She also talked about the growing number of solar farms in neighboring towns, and the next day, we visited one. I was surprised to see about 4,000 acres of farmland that had recently been turned into a solar energy farm.

We heard similar sentiments from Heath Bush, Dick Ottis, and L.G. Raun at Rice Belt Warehouse where they shared what the future of Texas rice might look like, especially given the significant decline in the production acreage due to drought, urban development, and the rise of those solar energy farms.

Greg and Donnell Devillier at Doguet’s Rice Mill and Turf Farm in Beaumont walked us through the entire production process from branding of rough rice to the final stages of milling and packaging – it was great to witness the full cycle of rice production, from start to finish.

The stop at RiceTec, where we met with Dr. Brian Ottis, was my first time visiting a facility like this, and I was both impressed and thoroughly informed about the importance of hybrid seed, whether being high yield or disease resistant.

Before crossing into Louisiana, we practiced our communication skills with mock on camera interviews, and learned about the rice brokerage industry, including rice quantity, quality, and international trade from Michael Creed; the role of equipment dealers from Terry Hlavinka; and talked drought, the high cost of water, and new wells with farmer Timothy Gertson on his farm.

Stops at the Port of Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana Rail Facility provided us with valuable insights into exports and logistics – and my first taste of boudin (recommend!).

We enjoyed meeting with several alumni along the way, from a restaurant event in Texas to a crawfish boil at Christian and Julie Richard’s farm (also a delicious first for me). At every stop we visited with farmers and had great discussions about rice farming and how we can improve and sustain rice farming for the future.

Bobby Hanks and his team at Supreme Rice welcomed us with an impressive tour including one of the most modern and well-maintained mills I’ve seen and a presentation of their history and operations, including that they harvest about 35,000 acres of rice for farmers.

We also got to see more research in Louisiana, including a brief stop at the Louisiana Rice Research "South Unit," where one of our classmates, Connor Webster, works, and a lengthy visit to the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, where we got to watch a seeder in action, and coming from California, where we flood our fields and use crop dusters to plant, this was fascinating to me.

Fred and Paul Zaunbrecher welcomed us to their rice and crawfish farm, showed us the sorting facility that was sizing crawfish, and then they took us out on boats to see how the crawfish are harvested.

Later, two-and-a-half hours east in New Orleans, we visited the USDA Southern Regional Research Center to learn about some of the innovative projects they’ve been working on, including repurposing rice by-products for use in the medical field, and a new health drink made from rice, packed with probiotics and designed to support gut health (another first for me and it was surprisingly good).

We also had a trip to the Russell Marine Group where we learned about managing trade and cargo operations from the U.S. to international markets, had an opportunity to meet with the owners, Pat and Tom Russell, and then head out on a crew boat and traveled along the Mississippi River, getting a firsthand look at the cargo ships, mills, and barges in action.

The week had literally taken us from research labs and seeds all the way through to export barges destined for a foreign market!

On behalf of myself and my classmates, I want to sincerely thank all of the people we met with who shared their knowledge, as well as The Rice Foundation and the generous sponsors: John Deere Company, RiceTec, American Commodity Company, and Supreme Rice. It’s been an amazing and transformative experience that has broadened my perspective on the rice industry and we’re just getting started.