USA Rice Participates in USDA’s Largest Agribusiness Trade Mission to Mexico

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – Last week, eight USA Rice members and staff—including representatives from Southern Rice & Cotton, TRC, Producers Rice Mill, GF&P Zaunbrecher Farms, and Trinidad Benham Corporation—joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) largest-ever agribusiness trade mission here, which brought together more than 160 participants.  

Ambassador Ronald Johnson and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins opened the plenary session, highlighting the strong U.S.–Mexico agricultural relationship, which reached nearly $80 billion in trade in 2024.  The U.S. supplies more than 70 percent of Mexico’s food needs, underscoring the deep interdependence between the two nations’ food and agriculture sectors.
 
“It was uplifting to hear from both Ambassador Johnson and Secretary Rollins that food security is national security,” said USA Rice COO Sarah Moran, who participated in the trade mission.  “That message really underscores the importance of the work we do every day to strengthen international partnerships and ensure reliable, high-quality food supplies across borders.  Mexico continues to be one of our most valued trading partners, and the discussions this week reinforced how essential collaboration and open dialogue are to maintaining a stable and mutually beneficial agricultural trade relationship.” 
 
Throughout the week, USA Rice took part in a roundtable with Mexican agribusiness leaders to discuss opportunities and challenges in bilateral trade, covering issues such as screwworm control, water restrictions, migrant labor, and import taxation.  The group also joined a discussion on the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the American Chamber of Commerce led by Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg, focusing on the agreement’s review process and potential outcomes.
 
USA Rice met with the Mexican Rice Council to review the current U.S. crop, rising imports from other origins, and concerns about potential increases in Vietnamese rice imports due to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) duty-free access.  USA Rice also shared its recently submitted USMCA review comments.
 
The delegation visited Central de Abasto, Latin America’s largest wholesale market, where U.S., domestic Mexican, and South American rice were all on display.  The week culminated with a dinner hosted by USA Rice for four major Mexican rice importers to discuss U.S. production updates and future collaboration opportunities.
 
“Our discussions last week reaffirmed how vital the U.S.–Mexico trade relationship is for the stability of our agricultural markets,” Moran said.  “Rice is more than a commodity—it’s a bridge that connects our economies, supports rural communities, and strengthens food security across North America.”