China agrees to allow imports of US rice for first time

CHICAGO: China officials agreed to allow imports of US rice for the first time ever, the US Department of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said on Thursday.

The move would give US rice farmers access to the world's biggest rice consumer, with China importing about 5 million tonnes last year, Perdue said in a statement.

"We waited a decade for the protocol to be signed and our members are anxious to meet the demand of China's consumers for safe, high-quality US rice," USA Rice President Betsy Ward said in a press release, adding that China consumes the equivalent of the entire US rice crop every 13 days.