U.S. Agriculture department denies trade help to Texas-based rice producers

U.S. Agriculture department denies trade help to Texas-based rice producers    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service denied a petition for trade adjustment assistance that was filed by the U.S. Rice Producers Association of Houston on Dec. 4.
   An Foreign Agricultural Service investigation determined that increasing rice imports did not contribute significantly to the decline in domestic producer prices during the August 2002 – July 2003 marketing year.
   The Foreign Agricultural Service pointed out that key factors contributing to the decline were the growth in U.S. production and increased carry-in stocks of U.S.-produced rice.
   “Increases in rice imports had only a minimal impact on the decline in domestic producer prices, because most imports are varieties of rice not produced in the United States and thus not directly competitive with U.S. rice production,” the agency said.