The U.S. and China have yet to formally sign the long-in-the-works phytosanitary agreement that will allow Chinese firms to begin importing U.S.-grown rice, but with many thinking that final step is imminent, work continues to get everything else in place. For years, USA Rice has been participating in appropriate food shows and exhibitions in China, developing relationships with the trade there, and bringing Chinese officials to the U.S. to introduce them to the industry here. Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the agency handling the negotiations and responsible for the import and export regulatory framework of agriculture products to and from the United States, has asked USA Rice to begin compiling a list of mills and warehouses in the U.S. that are both interested in, and ultimately capable of, exporting rice to China.
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