With the 2020 rice harvest in full swing, Southwest Louisiana farmers wasted no time in loading the first vessel of rough rice in the Port of Lake Charles for shipment to Honduras.  Efforts of the South Louisiana Rail Facility (SLRF) and their farmer members have resulted in the development of strong relations with numerous buyers in the most important markets for U.S. rice in Central America and Mexico.  The sale is a result of coordinating market development activities with the U.S. Rice Producers Association. 

Scheduled to depart Lake Charles this weekend, the “UBC Sydney” will be loaded with 22,000 tons of paddy rice out of SW Louisiana and Southeast Texas.  More than 40 farmers sold rice for this shipment. 

“These shipments support prices for farmers all along the gulf coast, giving farmers an important alternative,” according to Dwight Roberts, President & CEO for the USRPA, adding “the recent announcement by the SLRF to build a new rice mill in partnership with Agreeta Farmer Network further enhances the ability of rice farmers to market their crop.”