SANTIAGO, CHILE — USA Rice participated in a trade mission to Chile to discuss US trade topics and celebrate 200 years of bilateral trade.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade mission was led by Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor. The delegation included representatives from the US food and agriculture sectors, state departments of agriculture and South American trade members.

The trade mission coincided with the Espacio Food and Service trade show where US Ambassador to Chile Bernadette Meehan joined diplomats from Peru and Brazil to officially open the event. Ambassador Meehan gave a keynote address at the USA pavilion followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil more than 20 booths and US products.

Under Secretary Taylor kicked off the trade mission agenda with her speech at the plenary session highlighting key aspects of the trade relationship between Chile and the United States.

“As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of US-Chile relations, I am honored to lead such an incredible group as we work with Chilean importers on expanding our bilateral trade even further,” Taylor said. “Customers in Chile are especially interested in US consumer-oriented products … providing US exporters with many new and exciting opportunities.”

Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice director of international promotion for the Western Hemisphere, participated in a roundtable meeting focused on the possibility of opening new markets for rice in South America. The discussion offered insight on strategies and best practices from the USDA and fellow cooperators to move agricultural trade forward.

“Throughout the trade mission, I had the opportunity to meet with South American importers in 20-minute, individual ‘speed-dating’ sessions,” Grigsby said. “I talked with several importers from Chile, Brazil and Ecuador who are interested in sourcing US-origin rice as a way to diversify supply from neighboring competitors, and we will soon share those trade leads with members.”

The trade mission agenda also included a field trip to local supermarkets with aisles dedicated exclusively to US products, as well as a private tour of the Port of Valparaiso where US and Chilean products transit daily to support bilateral trade that tops $29 billion.