Rice forecast for the EU

THE Business Analytic Centre has released its report titled Rice, Manioc, Arrowroot and Sago Palm Pith Starches: European Union Market Outlook 2012 and Forecast till 2017. The paper mentions that in 2012, EU rice imports had been estimated at over 860,000 tonnes. The figure is expected to increase by about 1% and reach 868,000 tonnes in 2013, noting that even as the EU’s rice production languishes, consumption enhances. Local rice demand is predicted to be around 2.54 million tonnes in 2013, whilst EU rice output is likely to decline close to 1.76 million tonnes in the same year. The sharpest decline is forecast to be observed in the EU rice exports, which will probably fall to about 148,000 tonnes in 2013.