From left: Producers-Rice-Mill's Jeff-Burns,-USA Rice's Eszter-Somogyi, and FAS Marketing Specialist Hussein Mousa
Dec 14, 2023
STUTTGART, AR – After the conclusion of the USA Rice Outlook Conference last week, a group representing two major U.S. rice importers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia traveled to Arkansas to visit U.S. rice parboiling plants here. The importers were joined by Riyadh-based Hussein Mousa, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) senior regional marketing specialist from the U.S. Embassy.
Saudi Arabia is a major market for U.S. long grain parboiled rice, and the seventh largest U.S. rice export market worldwide by value, with imports totaling 75,700 MT in 2022 with a value of $69 million.
During the two-day visit in Arkansas, the two buyer groups had the opportunity to meet with U.S. rice suppliers and to visit the two parboiling facilities of Riceland Foods and Producers Rice Mill, gaining a better understanding of the parboiling process and production lines that contribute to the high-quality U.S. rice supplied to the Kingdom.
“I believe these in-person meetings and site visits will help foster on-going business relationships, and secure continued demand for U.S. rice in this important, high value market,” said Eszter Somogyi, USA Rice director Europe, Middle East and Africa, who also accompanied the group. In addition to representatives from the two companies that traveled to Arkansas, a third importer made the trek to Indian Wells for the USA Rice Outlook Conference.