USA Rice asked the U.S. Trade Representation (USTR) to open the rice market in China to U.S. exports.

From January to November 2024, the United States exported rice to the world for a customs value of $2.256 billion, 22.9% more compared to the same period in 2023, according to Commerce Department data.

Year after year, the United States has maintained an increasing trend in this indicator, except in 2022. However, its exports to China remained virtually flat.

Below is the course of U.S. rice exports to the world, in millions of dollars:

• 2018: 1,690.
• 2019: 1,867.
• 2020: 1,878.
• 2021: 1,952.
• 2022: 1,713.
• 2023: 2,045.
• 2024 (January-November): 2,256.

Rice market in China

USA Rice represents U.S. rice producers, millers, traders and allied companies. 

The United States grows nearly 3 million acres of rice annually in Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas and exports just over 50% of that crop. 

Until a few years ago, U.S. grown rice supplied more than 90% of the domestic market before imports of aromatic rice began to reduce market share. 

WTO

According to USA Rice, rice imports from China have increased since 2017, further displacing U.S. rice from the domestic market.

In the first 11 months of 2023, U.S. rice imports from around the world totaled $1.462 billion, up 13.1 percent year-over-year.

This is the trend in U.S. rice imports from China, in millions of dollars:

• 2018: 29.
• 2019: 24.
• 2020: 25.
• 2021: 34.
• 2022: 45.
• 2023: 45.
• 2024 (January-November): 57.

USA Rice stated that if China complied with its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, U.S. rice could have more consistent market access. 

Despite not importing U.S. rice at the time, in 2018, China imposed retaliatory import duties of 25% ad valorem in response to U.S. actions under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. 

This retaliatory tariff is in addition to China’s 1% tariff on in-quota imports and 65% tariff on out-of-quota rice imports.