Brazil Eyes Expanding Its Rice Exports To Latin America

Apr 11,2007 00:00 by dailynews

Brazil will likely become a new player in the Latin
America and Caribbean rice export markets from herein, said Tiago Barata, a
rice market analyst for agribusiness consulting firm Safras & Mercado.
Brazil started shipping parboiled rice to Cuba and Haiti last year following
problems with U.S. transgenic rice exports. We have our foot firmly planted
there now and will see expansion into Latin America going forward," Barata told
Dow Jones Newswires on Tuesday.

Local business daily Gazeta Mercantil reported Tuesday that Latin American
and Caribbean rice farmers were reducing some 15% out of its rice fields in
order to plant biofuel crops like sugarcane and corn for ethanol.

Brazil produces 11.3 million MT of rice each year, and consumes about 12.9
million. It is considered a staple food in Brazil, with most Brazilians
consuming rice every day.