Amidst its political and financial crisis and seemingly in response to widely reported food shortages in the country Venezuela is reportedly continuing to import significant quantities of rice since parting company with the 2009 rice for oil (PetroCaribe) deal with Guyana. Rice production in the South American Republic has been declining for several years, a circumstance that is compelling the Maduro government to continue to import one of the country’s crucial staples.
A report (Grain: World Markets and Trade) published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on April 10 this year states that Venezuela has already imported more rice in the first quarter of 2018 than it did during the same time period in 2017, with the only change being in the suppliers.
Over the past two decades the United States has enjoyed a large share in the Venezuela rice market, its exports to the crisis-hit country averaging over 50 percent of the country’s imports.