International Trade Patterns
U.S. Market Overview
Top 10 Exporters of Rice to the United States: 1985-2003
Overview As evidenced in the table above, the stability of Thailand’s percentage of the U.S. market share, with a difference of only 2.12% between 2003 and 1985, has greatly contributed to its position as the leading exporter of the rice industry. Despite their heavy competition, 69.18% of the United States' imports are still from Thailand. While India is technically the second leading rice exporter to the United States, it only accounts for 10.63% of the United States' total rice imports. As the top two leading exporters, Thailand and India are bound to be rivals. According to a 2002 Tribune article, Vichai Sriprasert, the president of the Thai Rice Exporters’ Association and owner of Riceland International trading company, Thailand is increasingly threatened by India’s ability to deliver greater volumes of rice at competitive prices. Additionally, India’s government has played an important role in this heavy competition by announcing subsidies for exporters. (1) However, despite India's threat, Thailand still remains the leader in rice exports to the United States.
Shifting Standings As evidenced by the graph above, Thailand's rapid increase from 19,532 million shares in 1985 to 159,924 million shares in 2003 in rice exports to the United States is clear. Although India poses a threat to Thailand globally, in the U.S., Thailand dominates the rice market, retaining its number one position since 1985. In 2003, India only exported 24,565 million market shares to the U.S.
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