Rice Trade Report
The International Trade Commission has released a report on the competitiveness of the rice industries in the U.S. and other major producing and exporting countries. According to an ITC press release, major findings of this report include the following.
- A small share of rice production is traded internationally and rice exports are concentrated among a small number of exporters. The U.S. supplies one percent of global production and five percent of global exports.
- Because rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population, there is significant government intervention in the rice industry, including public stockholding, consumer and producer subsidies, policies that encourage production, and trade policies.
- Price fluctuations in the rice industry were triggered by a number of global events between 2018 and 2023, including the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s export restrictions, spikes in transportation and input costs, and climate- and weather-related disruptions such as droughts, floods, and saltwater intrusion.
- Differences in production costs across countries affect the competitiveness of major rice producers. India, Pakistan, and Vietnam had some of the lowest production costs; the U.S., Brazil, China, and Indonesia had some of the highest.
- Greater market access would increase U.S. rice exports; simulations show that the removal of all import tariffs, both U.S. and foreign, would have a net positive effect on U.S. rice production and exports.
- Economic modeling also shows potential gains to U.S. rice exports from other policies, such as an increase in Japan’s tariff-rate quota.
Poultry Imports
The Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has removed restrictions on imports of poultry and related products originating from or transiting zone PCZ-255 in Ontario, Canada (effective Feb. 26), Iwate prefecture in Japan (effective Feb. 28), and the following areas in Australia (effective Jan. 27): the Meredith and Terang restricted and control areas of the state of Victoria, the greater Sydney basin restricted and control areas of the state of New South Wales, and the Australia capital territory control quarantine area and avian influenza region Australia capital territory control area.
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