Rice shipments rise 144% in the first quarter.

The Brazilian rice sector began 2026 with a recovery in the pace of exports. From January to March, 685,000 tons of rice (husk basis) were sent to other countries, compared to 281,000 tons shipped in the same period of 2025 — an increase of 144%. Revenue grew by 55%, reaching US$159.7 million in the first quarter of the year. Venezuela, Senegal, and Mexico were the main destinations. The survey is periodically published by the Brazilian Rice Industry Association (Abiarroz), based on data from the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC). “The months of January to March comprise the off-season for rice. During this period in 2025, stocks were low due to the floods of the previous year in Rio Grande do Sul. With the larger harvest in 2025, Brazil resumed the normal flow of shipments this year. There was also a recovery in sales to the United States, a strategic market for Brazilian processed rice, especially polished rice, which has a higher added value,” observes Beatriz Sartori, Export Manager of Abiarroz. Industrially processed rice, which accounts for half of the total volume exported, registered a significant increase in shipments of 106%, totaling 349,500 tons sent abroad in the first quarter. In terms of revenue, the increase was 21%, totaling US$ 75.4 million. For the Export Manager of Abiarroz, the discrepancy between the increase in volume and revenue can be explained by the high supply of the product in the global context, which consequently reflects in the price of the grain. “The price of rice has fallen sharply, driven by India's return to international trade amid a record harvest. The Asian country had restricted exports of some types of rice to replenish its domestic stocks, but this restriction has been lifted,” explains Beatriz, adding that the trend is for current export volumes to be maintained from the new harvest onwards. Regarding imports, Brazil purchased 386,000 tons of rice (husk basis) in the first quarter, with an expenditure of US$85 million. This represents a 7% increase in imported volume and a 28.5% decrease in value compared to the same period last year. The majority of the imported amount, 94%, corresponds to milled rice. 

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.