STUTTGART, AR & CROWLEY, LA — Last month, USA Rice invited four millers from Côte d’Ivoire to learn more about the U.S. rice industry.  

During a USA Rice trade mission to Morocco last September, members of the Groupement Professionnel des Usiniers du Riz (GPUR) met with USA Rice to discuss opportunities to import U.S. rice to support their mills, as local production is not yet sufficient (see USA Rice Daily, September 10, 2025).  GPUR is an economic group representing ten rice mills in Côte d’Ivoire and works to advance discussions aimed at improving milling capacity across the country.

The group attended the USA Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans where they reconnected with several U.S. rice exporters they had met during the Morocco mission.  Following the conference, the delegation traveled to Crowley, Louisiana, to visit the world-renowned Louisiana State University Rice Research Station to learn about variety development and ways to mitigate pest pressures.  Next, they toured the mill at Supreme Rice Mill where they were thoroughly impressed with the operation’s milling capacity.

Their trip through the southern rice growing region also included several stops in Arkansas where nearly half of the U.S. rice crop is grown.  After meeting with Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward and learning about the state’s efforts to support the rice industry, they connected with rice producers at the Arkansas Council of Agriculture reception.  The delegation also visited Producers Rice Mill in Stuttgart and met with Mark Isbell at his family’s farm in Lonoke County to learn about their saké-milling operation.  The day ended with dinner hosted by USA Rice Merchant’s Association Chair Park Eldridge.

“This trip was incredibly insightful and helpful for us as a group to understand the capacity, quality, and strong food safety efforts of the U.S. rice industry,” said Marcellin Goh, secretary general of GPUR.  “We look forward to continuing conversations with many of the individuals we met and aim to import U.S. rice in the very near future.”

Published Date: January 6, 2026