Mexico Rice Market - Growth and Trends

Mexico is identified as one of the major rice producing and trading markets in North America. The growing population, increased domestic production, and affordable prices are the major factors driving consumption of rice in the country. Although Mexico's per capita rice consumption is quite low (around 7.3 kg), it has continued to grow at a slightly higher rate than the population growth rate (1.1%) and has the potential to increase further. The country’s largely price-driven rice market is increasingly shifting towards quality produce as a result of the shifting consumer interest.

Rice trade in Mexico is expected to increase by 10,000 MT in MY 2015/16, given the increasing domestic production. Mexico’s MY 2015/16 (October to September) rice production is forecasted at 240,000 MT, with harvested area estimated at 41,000 ha. According to the official sources of the country, the recent increase in rice outputs is due to the higher planted area as well as better yields due to favorable weather conditions. The Mexican Government, through SAGARPA and the Secretariat Economy (SE), has designed programs, incentives and funding schemes suitable to boost rice productivity and the restructuring of tariffs on imported rice to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic production.

Although Mexico produces a number of rice varieties, around 60% of its rice consumption is still imported. To support the rice trade in the country, the government published a decree that modifies the Tariff of the General Import and Export Tax Law for imported rice from December 2014 onwards. While the decree imposes a 9% tariff on imported paddy rice and a 20% tariff on husked, long grain and other imported rice, Mexico’s major trading partner, the United States, is exempted from the same.  This measure is expected to bring more imported rice to Mexico from the US. The United States enjoys a significant quality, logistic and name recognition advantage in Mexico.

The value chain of rice in Mexico moves from points of production and ports of entry to mills, packers, manufacturers, warehouses, and retail outlets of various types. Most of the domestically produced rice and imported rough rice is milled and packed by a small number of rice millers. From mills and packers, rice enters the food distribution system, passing through central warehouses (centrales de abasto) or moving through government hands for distribution to supermarkets, Tiendas de abarrotes (small retail grocery stores), and public markets.

The Mexico rice crop market report covers the following information –

• Crop production
• Country consumption
• Country trade (export-import) scenario and statistics
• Price trend and seasonality of the crop
• Future outlook of the crop market

Stakeholders who would benefit -

• Crop growers
• Enterprises providing agricultural inputs
• Crop processing companies
• Crop importers and exporters
• Investors/research institutions interested in the crop market