|
Trade Mission To China
GUANGZHOU & SHENZHEN, CHINA
USA Rice Vice President International Sarah Moran traveled to China as part of a trade mission hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish new business connections in southern China.
There are nearly 400 rice importers in China, and most import rice through ports in South China making it a major import hub and growing market for U.S. agricultural exports, that already averages $8 billion annually. Consumers in the region have an affinity for U.S. products, and demand is on the rise.
China first opened its rice market when it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. Twelve countries, primarily in Southeast Asia, can export rice to China, however the United States is still excluded. Last year, a phytosanitary protocol was signed between the U.S. and China, however the Chinese government agency handling U.S. access continues to raise technical issues that delay that access.
Moran said about 80 percent of the rice consumed in China is long grain and the remainder is medium/short grain, both of which can be supplied by the United States.
“I met with more than a dozen companies that currently import rice from Thailand and Vietnam,” she said. “All of them expressed interest in sourcing from the U.S. and were inquiring about the current status. They were interested in long grain, Calrose, sweet rice, aromatics, and even wild rice.”
The USDA group also visited Yantian port, the largest privately-owned terminal in the world, open around the clock, all year long, and handling 10,000 - 29,000 containers each day, loading 12 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalents) annually. More than half of shipments there are either to or from the United States. However, for every ten containers going out to the U.S., eight come back to the Yantian port empty, highlighting the extreme trade imbalance between the two countries.
“USA Rice has raised the importance of rice access at the highest levels of USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office,” said Moran. “We are confident that rice is on the agenda for the Administration's talks in Beijing this week, and we continue to support U.S. negotiators as they seek a solution for the benefit of our producers and exporters.” ∆
|
|