A shipment of premium, medium grain Calrose rice grown in California and sold to China by ADM Rice was unloaded in China Tuesday (October 27), the first commercial sale of U.S. rice to China, according to USA Rice.
Under the terms of the phytosanitary agreement reached between the U.S. and China, all rice entering China must be milled and packaged according to specifications and originate from a pre-approved export facility, the group noted.
There are currently 32 approved export facilities spread across the six major rice-growing states. U.S. rice entering China under their tariff rate quota faces a 1% in-quota duty in addition to a 25% retaliatory duty, but the group noted, “In most cases, importers in China may apply to waive the retaliatory duty.”
USDA's Weekly Export Sales report recently reported the shipment of 20 metric tons of U.S. rice to China that was purchased earlier this year.