USA rice meets with Costa Rican rice importers

SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA – Earlier this week, nearly two dozen USA Rice members and staff met with the National Association of Industrialists of the Rice Sector of Costa Rica (ANINSA), the National Rice Corporation (CONARROZ), the Industrial Consultants for Rice (CIPA), and Walmart which covers Costa Rica and Nicaragua, to discuss local production, import trends, the lack of water in the Panama Canal affecting imports, and other areas of mutual interest. Additionally, CONARROZ, a non-governmental agency which grades and tests rice, led a tour of their laboratory and provided domestic, U.S., and Brazilian rice to sample and taste. Local rice production in Costa Rica has drastically decreased over the past several years, from 35,000 hectares (~86,000 acres) and 530 growers two years ago to 15,000 hectares (~37,000 acres) and 350 growers now. “Part of this reduction in local production was due to Costa Rica reducing the 35 percent tariff on rough and milled rice from all origins to 3.5 ...