After years of effort, farmers in the United States believe they are close to getting permission to sell rice in China, a potentially huge boost for an industry that has seen prices stagnate recently.
If China opens its markets to US rice, it could cause a spike in demand that drives up prices and encourages farmers to grow more, US industry observers said.
The fast-growing Asian nation is the world's largest producer of rice, but China consumes nearly everything it grows and already imports some rice from Thailand and Vietnam to feed its 1.3 billion people.
The US is the world's fourth-largest rice exporter, shipping to more than 100 countries. But China has resisted opening its markets, saying its inspection agencies have not certified that US rice is safe from disease, bugs and other pests.
To help move things along, the US Rice Producers Association invited Chinese inspectors to tour farms in Arkansas, California and Louisiana.
The great hope is that as China's middle class becomes wealthier, its members will want to buy high-quality rice from the US even if it's more expensive.
"You think of rice as just rice, but I'm always surprised by how sophisticated rice palates are," said Andy Hewes, partner in a Texas rice marketing firm and publisher of The Rice Market Letter.
Greg Yielding, an official with the US Rice Producers Association, conducted taste tests of different varieties of American rice - short and medium-grain from California and medium and long-grain from Arkansas and elsewhere in the South.
At a Walmart in Beijing, Yu Xiaoli, a 30-year-old housewife shopping for her monthly supply of rice, chose Chinese over the Thai alternative. She said she prefers Chinese rice for its flavor and texture.
Asked if she might be interested in trying American rice, Yu looked surprised. "I've never tried it," she said. "I haven't even heard anything about it."
If China opens its markets to US rice, it could cause a spike in demand that drives up prices and encourages farmers to grow more, US industry observers said.
The fast-growing Asian nation is the world's largest producer of rice, but China consumes nearly everything it grows and already imports some rice from Thailand and Vietnam to feed its 1.3 billion people.
The US is the world's fourth-largest rice exporter, shipping to more than 100 countries. But China has resisted opening its markets, saying its inspection agencies have not certified that US rice is safe from disease, bugs and other pests.
To help move things along, the US Rice Producers Association invited Chinese inspectors to tour farms in Arkansas, California and Louisiana.
The great hope is that as China's middle class becomes wealthier, its members will want to buy high-quality rice from the US even if it's more expensive.
"You think of rice as just rice, but I'm always surprised by how sophisticated rice palates are," said Andy Hewes, partner in a Texas rice marketing firm and publisher of The Rice Market Letter.
Greg Yielding, an official with the US Rice Producers Association, conducted taste tests of different varieties of American rice - short and medium-grain from California and medium and long-grain from Arkansas and elsewhere in the South.
At a Walmart in Beijing, Yu Xiaoli, a 30-year-old housewife shopping for her monthly supply of rice, chose Chinese over the Thai alternative. She said she prefers Chinese rice for its flavor and texture.
Asked if she might be interested in trying American rice, Yu looked surprised. "I've never tried it," she said. "I haven't even heard anything about it."
