How do I find rice importers, and which countries buy which rice?

The tables show how many companies import milled rice (HS 100630) in eight markets, their shipments, and which origin supplies most of the declared value. The provider does not state the period the records cover, and it may differ between markets. So read each count as companies on record over an unstated period, not as a list of last month's buyers. Every tracked market is on the milled rice importer pages.

Import records come from declarations filed in the market itself, so they are not limited by which supplying countries report. Mirror records include a buyer only if its supplier's country has export records in the data. India, Pakistan and Vietnam appear as reporting origins in these tables, so buyers of rice from those three origins are in the counts. Buyers supplied only from origins without records in the data, China among them, are missing. This is why the five mirror counts can be lower than the real number of importers. The two record types measure different things, so compare company counts only within one table. The "last changed" date on each country page shows when a count last moved at a monthly reading. It does not show when the shipments happened. The methodology page gives the details.

HS 100630 holds basmati, non-basmati and parboiled rice under one code, so these counts cannot show which variety a market buys. The origin shows who you compete with:

• India or Pakistan supplies most of the value (Kuwait, Canada, the UAE, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Kenya). Your competitor is the other South Asian origin, or other mills in your own country.
• Vietnam supplies most of the value (Singapore). An Indian or Pakistani seller arrives as a newcomer and needs a clear reason to be added.
• Pakistan holds about half (the United States). This is the one market here with a source on variety. USDA ERS says more than 60% of rice imports into the United States are aromatic varieties from Asia: mostly jasmine from Thailand, as well as basmati from India and Pakistan.

For the other seven markets, treat the variety as unconfirmed. A market led by Indian rice may be buying Indian non-basmati, so confirm the variety buyer by buyer before you quote.

• Sub-Saharan Africa: the largest rice-importing region, according to USDA ERS. Low-priced Asian exporters supply the bulk of these imports. Kenya is the one market from this region in the tables above.
• Southeast Asia: the second largest region. The Philippines is the world's largest rice importer. ERS also lists Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam among major global buyers, but gives no volumes for them.
• Middle East: the third largest region. The biggest buyers are Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
• United States: the largest importer in the Western Hemisphere, currently around 1.3 million tons, mostly aromatic rice from Asia. ERS gives no year for this figure. Its page was last updated on 9 October 2026.

APEDA's basmati trade notice dated 1 October 2025 sets these conditions. They apply to basmati shipped from India only. This guide does not cover export rules in Pakistan, Thailand or Vietnam. If you ship from there, get your own country's rules before you quote. Read the notice itself before you sign, because conditions can change.

• Importer-distributors and wholesalers. In the search run below, one is a Gulf rice supplier that resells into Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and one supplies restaurants and companies.
• Retailers, packers and brand owners. Look for retail bag sizes and private label in their range. Two results in the run could take private label packs.
• Government or state procurement buys rice in some markets. The records in this guide do not show which buyers are state bodies, so confirm this market by market.

United States. FDA does not approve imported food before it arrives. The facilities that produce, store or handle the rice must be registered with FDA. FDA must also receive prior notice of each shipment. The importer runs a Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), so expect questions about your mill and your food safety controls.

European Union. Pesticide residues must stay under the maximum residue levels that the European Commission sets in its MRL database. This is why European buyers ask for residue test reports.

Other markets in the tables. This guide has no checked list of import documents for the UAE, Kuwait, Singapore, Canada or Kenya, or for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia beyond the APEDA rows above. Before you quote, ask the buyer to send its document list in writing.

1. 1

   Choose two new markets from the tables

   Pick one market where your origin already leads and one where it does not, each with enough companies to approach. Open each country page, for example milled rice in Saudi Arabia, and note the top supplying countries. The pages are free but show counts, not names.

2. 2

   Get names free

   Free ways to find export buyers and trade promotion buyer sources cover routes that need no subscription. Reevi Find Buyers is one more option. You describe your variety, pack sizes, origin and target markets, and it returns named companies that already import the product, each with the reason it fits. Names are visible without an account. Its free plan gives 5 buyers a month with company, contacts and research; paid plans start at $9.90 a month for 25 (pricing).

3. 3

   Pay for customs records only if you need more

   For the United States, the United Kingdom and Kenya, the names are in import records filed there. For the mirror markets, they are in the supplying countries' export records. How to find importers by HS code shows how to search 100630. This comparison sets the paid record platforms side by side.

4. 4

   Check each company before a price or a sample

   Run the name through the free buyer checker to see that it is real and active. If you want its recent rice shipments, that needs customs records (paid, on Reevi's Grow plan or a records platform). Then follow how to verify a foreign buyer.

5. 5

   Plan for Gulfood in Dubai

   In 2026, Gulfood had more than 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries. The next edition runs from 15 to 19 March 2027. The organiser says it draws retailers, distributors, importers and foodservice buyers. Book meetings with the checked companies before you travel.

The two results not shown are a grocery carrying 4 x 10 kg packs of 1121 sella basmati, and a supplier that imports basmati for restaurants and companies. Four of the five sell Indian basmati today. A Pakistani exporter is therefore asking them to add or switch origin, and the offer needs a reason, such as a pack size or a private label option. Five results are a list of prospects, not a sample of the market.